Ensnarled
by Anais Verhoevenhaven
Summary: When Ed disappears for three days, Roy goes after him and finds him in an abandoned basement. But not after Edward is turned into something slightly less...human. Full summary inside. Roy/Chimera Ed.
1. I'll Prove You Wrong

**Full summary: When someone starts transmuting people into chimeras and killing them in the process, Ed suspects that someone in the military is committing the taboo. Determined to prove that he is right, he follows a lead and suddenly disappears for about three days. Roy, desperate to find him, realizes what Ed had discovered and goes in search of him, but not after Edward is changed into something slightly less...human.**

**Authors Note: **I worked very hard on this chapter, and I would love to receive reviews telling me what I did wrong and what I did right. Each review motivates me to begin a new chapter, so if you want more, please review and tell me! Of course, only if you want to ^_^'

**Warning- Language and slight gore**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, but I do own the plot**

Edward pushed back his bangs from his eyes warily and traced the scratched surface of the table with his automail, trying to ignore the clang of pots and pans in the tiny kitchen they owned. He scribbled on a piece of scrap paper, trying to make the female figure he was drawing more realistic than it was at the moment and gave up completely, smirking as he drew a villainous mustache across the females upper lip and a top hat to rest on top of her head. He put a puffy tutu around her waist in front of her leggings and titled it 'The Crack Bunnies Strike Again'.

Edward sighed and let his head hang limp until it banged against the tabletop. He was out of leads. Everything that he worked for was blown away by one small piece of information that made all his explanations untwist and fall apart until they were left with nothing. He had been so sure that the culprit was someone from the military itself. Someone with great power, someone who was trusted by their comrades and subordinates. But Mustang, stubborn and smirking, had claimed that the corpses that they found were all from the military, and he was fairly certain that someone wouldn't murder their own men for the sake of making a perfect chimera.

But Edward knew that he was right. There was someone beneath the shadows doing the transmutations, leaving most victims half human, half beast, in a pool of their own blood, and Edward was going to prove that he was right.

The murders had started one month before, leaving everyone stunned and frightened. The first one was a man by the name of Dae Fulhren and the rank of Corporal. He had a wife and child that was one year old, and was a people person with a crooked nose and a head of curly brown hair. His body was found in an old abandon barn on the edges of Central, the roof was caving in, and it stank of forbidden Alchemy, making the hairs on the back of Ed's neck rise and his body tense. They found him in the middle of the floor, old straw brushed away neatly from a transmutation circle drawn in chalk and blood. His body was gnarled and twisted and one horn stuck up from the side of his head. He looked at them through slanted eyes, one pupil in the shape of a horizontal rectangle. His hands, reaching out to them, were bending different ways and plastic looking goo held the fingers together. Edward had suspected that he was supposed to be a goat human chimera. Blood had burst from his mouth and he somehow found the motivation to say three words in a hoarse animal voice, "_Love_..._Rai and_..._Kally_." Which was the name of his wife and child. He died not a second later.

The second was a female. Her name was Marcy Hepri and she was a newly promoted Captain who was said to be stubborn and strong willed, with a sarcastic sense of humor and a fetish for cheese. She lived with her fiancé, and had wild red hair that she usually kept short. She was found in a house not to far from the barn. Her body was barely distinguishable, her eyes pulled to the side of her face, popping out and her arms bent backwards with small spine-like bones poking out of her skin. Her mouth was pulled forward and pointed, as if she were pursing her lips. Edward was able to tell that she was transmuted to a bird hybrid by the feathers lying around her body and all the other factors. She was already dead when they got there.

It didn't seem logical that someone would be targeting military men and women unless they held a grudge and that wouldn't explain why they were transmuting them into chimeras. Failed chimeras at that. Edward suspected that it would be easier to use civilians in their experiments. Someone who didn't know how to fight back. Unless, of course, they were first thing available. Someone who worked with the military, held a rank higher than a Major, someone who had subordinates of their own who they could easily trick them into traveling towards their deaths would be the first the should have suspected.

But Brigadier General Roy Mustang thought otherwise. He was stubborn on the fact that if they were killing people from their own command that it would be obvious that they were to culprit. He doubted that anyone would use their own men when they could just as effortlessly; snag some helpless citizen from the street, or from their bed in the middle of the night. If fact, he claimed that it would make more sense for someone to use defenseless people than to risk fighting someone trained to kill or be killed.

Edward knew that what Mustang was saying made sense, and that if he had heard his own case against Roy's that he would more than likely side with Roy Mustang. But he just couldn't shake the feeling from his gut. He had a suspicion and he knew he had to prove it right or wrong or it would drive him insane. And for some reason, Edward just didn't want to see himself being dragged to a Insane Asylum because he couldn't figure out who was murdering people. Not that they would be able to keep him there, unless they put him into a straight jacket.

Edward lifted his head lethargically and shifted through the graphic murder scene pictures, trying to keep the grimace from appearing on his face. There was always a new animal they were blended with. It didn't seem like this killer had a pattern except for the fact that they slaughtered only people in the army below the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and they all died from transmutations. It would be smart to suspect any Alchemist, not that he wanted the suspicion of the military resolving around him and his fellow Alchemists, but you could never be too careful, not when lives were on the line. So far, the serial killer had mixed the soldiers with a goat, bird, pig, horse, frog, bull dog, coyote, mountain lion, domestic cat and a rat which was the most gruesome of all ten.

Edward scrubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands and jumped when a plate and glass was placed in front of them. Edward grumbled and lifted the plate up to move the photos away from underneath. Alphonse grinned down at his brother, sitting down next to him to gaze at Ed's failed art. He pursed his lips and looked up at his older brother questioningly. "Is that supposed to be a snake with arms? Its kinda..._curvy_." He asked, raising one honey brow. Edward huffed at the insult and pulled the drawing away.

"That would be called a _lizard_, Alphonse, but no, it is not a 'snake with arms.'" He twirled the spaghetti on his plate around his fork and popped it into his mouth with a smirk. "It's a lady, a lady with a mustache, a tutu and a top hat. I named her Mustang."

Al grinned and chuckled as Ed crumpled it up and threw it over the counter into the kitchen next to him. "Your going to pick that up you know," He said triumphantly. Edward grumbled through a mouth full of food. Only Alphonse would make spaghetti for breakfast.

Alphonse pulled a plate towards him and began to twist the noodles around his fork slowly. He slid the fork into his mouth and pulled it out just as slowly, looking blissful and free. Ed smiled behind his hand and pushed another bite into his mouth. Al was finally home after spending about five years trapped in a suit of armor. And even after two months, Alphonse still savored the food as if he had just taken his first bite. Edward recalled the memory with fondness. He had put a piece of Winry's pie into his mouth and then he burst into uncontrollable tears. Of course, he ate the entire pie himself and then spent the night barfing it back up into the toilet, but for some reason, Al didn't seem to mind. After that he began cooking things that nobody would have thought of, asking everybody to try these small creations that were masterpieces. Edward wanted Al to become a cook. There was no doubt in Edward's mind that he would succeed to become the greatest chief of all time.

Edward sighed and picked up his plate, moving around the table into the kitchen with ease. He put the plate into the sink, grabbed the crumpled paper on the floor and tossed it into the garbage and trudged back into the dining room before plopping down into his seat. He slid the photos to the side and opened the file beneath it, the personal information on the victims. He tried to look at similarities in the victims and could see none other than the obvious, and so that gave him the impression that this person was just transmuting for the sake of finding answers. Just like Shou Tucker. Edward squeezed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, wincing. That always brought bad memories. Even the mention of 'chimera' from the Bastard Brigadier General had made him grimace. No wonder Mustang was frowning so hard that whole day.

Whoever doing the Alchemy was clearly not exceptional. Edward could tell from the mistakes in the transmutations and the simplicity of the design. If someone of higher caliber had tried it, maybe they could have succeeded, and that was what bugged Ed so much. Maybe they would have been alive had someone else been there, maybe if Edward could figure this out sooner, less people would die. Maybe, maybe, if, if. It was hard not to take all the blame in a situation like this, even though Edward knew that it wasn't his fault. He was trying to _stop_ this from happening. But Ed always had a problem with dumping part of his load onto someone else shoulders.

"Any luck?" Alphonse asked hopefully, propping his head up on his hand and smiling softly with optimism in his eyes. Edward shook his head slowly and closed the file dejectedly.

"So far, there is no evidence that proves useful to us except for the fact that they aren't that experienced and that the only people they are using in their Alchemy is people from the Army," Edward ran his automail hand through his hair, forgetting he had it in a low tail, getting hair stuck in the joints. Ed growled and yanked his hand out, pulling golden hairs from the metal in irritation. "It doesn't make since, what's his motive? And how can I get the Bastard to believe that someone from the military is doing the killings?" Edward slammed his head on the table and instantly regretted it.

"Ow," he said rubbing his forehead. "That wasn't the smartest idea." Alphonse giggled and clapped Ed on the shoulder, smiling brightly.

"How about I help you? I'd be just like old times." He suggested, already pulling a file from the mess on the table. Edward snickered and followed his younger brother's lead, letting the small smile that adorned his lips fall as he got deeper and deeper into the information. If he weren't the super stubborn Alchemist he was, Ed was sure he would have quit ages ago. Everything looked hopeless, and the farther you got, the more futile it felt.

"I think I got an idea," Alphonse quiet voice drifted towards him, and Edward's head snapped up, a grin taking its place easily.

"Really?" He said, scooting closer in excitement. "What is it?" Alphonse scratched the back of his head and gave Edward a bemused look, before glancing down at the photos he had been searching through.

"You can tell that this person isn't very good at what they do, so they must be new at the transmutations, the thing I found interesting was how closely it resembled Tucker's research notes and the transmutation circles. It seemed as though they were basing it off of his notes, starting slow to get the feel of it." He pursed his lips again, something he only did when he was thinking fast and hard. Edward's eyes widened in realization. "So if we found out who looked at Tucker's notes last," Alphonse nodded. "We might be able to find out who's behind this."

Edward jumped up and grinned, "Hell yeah! We got this! Fuck, Al, you're a genius!" Alphonse blushed in pleasure for the praise and looked away in embarrassment. "I was surprised you didn't notice it, Brother, you're usually so perceptive."

Edward sighed and sat back down, slumping back into the chair tiredly. He leaned back further, balancing his chair on the two back legs. "Yeah, well, I have a lot on my mind." He said, placing his feet on the counter of the table. Al's nose scrunched up and he pushed his older brother's feet from the table, watching in amusement as Edward toppled backwards onto the tiled floor.

"Comfortable?" Al asked in a delighted tone, sniggering softly as Edward rolled off of the fallen chair onto the floor with a groan.

"Who taught you to be such an ass?" He raged, glaring up at the taller man with enough venom to kill small animals. "Only from the best, of course." He retorted, winking down at him in a condescending manner. Edward smirked and pulled himself up with a groan, yanking the chair up with him before sliding into it gracelessly. He pulled out his hair band and let his hair tumble down to the bottom of his shoulder blades. Ed slapped it onto the table and yawned loudly.

"I'm going to take a shower, its way too early for this shit anyway." He heaved himself up and waved a hand back at his brother as he left the room. "Your welcome to see if you can go any further, but I doubt you'll get any farther than you already have."

Edward pushed open the door to Alphonse and his room, shutting it quietly behind him. He pulled his clothes from the dresser in the side of the room, cursing silently and wishing that he hadn't insisted on a sleepless night. Hoping a shower would wake him up he pulled open the small door on the left side of the room and entered the cozy bathroom with a scowl. Ed threw the clean clothes on the counter, and retrieved a towel from the cupboard before tossing it on the toilet seat. Ed turned on the shower knobs, smiling as the water poured down in sheets from the shower head. Once it had warmed up he stripped down, discarding his dirty clothes into the hamper before climbing into the shower, tilting his head towards the water and closing his eyes in bliss. This was just what he needed. A refreshing shower and a little nap and he would be as good as new.

Slowly, he forced himself to pour a glob of shampoo on his hair and lather it clean with his hands. Watching in fascination, he let the water wash the soap from his hair down onto the floor to swirl down the drain. Edward propped himself against the wall and closed his eyes contentedly. Sometimes he would take a shower just for the fact that it felt as if the water was washing away the dark thoughts and worries. He had always loved the feeling of the water washing over his bare skin as if it were cleansing him of all the sins he had ever committed.

Reluctantly, he turned off the shower and climbed out, rubbing the glinting water off with the towel. He pulled on a clean pair of briefs and his trademark leather pants, buckling then securely around his slim waist. He pulled a sleeveless black shirt over his head and rummaged through the dirty clothes to get back his State Alchemist watch from his other pants. He clasped it onto his belt loop and tucked it into his pocket with a fond pat. Edward ran his fingers through his hair and growled at the knots near his sensitive scalp. Finally, fed up, he pulled it back into a low tail and left the bathroom with a scowl, surprised to find Al sitting on his bed reading.

Edward smiled warily at his brother and collapsed onto his bad, groaning softly before rolling onto his back. Alphonse laughed, as if there was anything humorous about the situation. "I told you to go to bed last night, but _no_ you had a _lead_." He nodded his head before turned the page of his book. "You should have listened." Edward tsked and turned onto his side, glaring at the younger man.

"Shut up, Alphonse." He demanded, pulling his pillow over his head to block out any sound.

"Whatever you say." Alphonse said, turning another page. Edward yawned loudly and closed his eyes, breathing in the musty scent of his pillow as well as the pine smell of his shampoo. Soon he felt his body relax and his mind drifted off into some dreamless land that only lasted a few measly seconds. Edward felt something tug at his consciousness and he blinked a couple of times before pulling the thin pillow from his face with a moan. He blinked blearily, rubbing sleep and grit from his eyes as he glanced around the room. It was lit up from the one window in between Al's and Ed's bed, sending rays of sunlight through the light blue curtains. he guessed it was late afternoon by the intensity of the light.

Pushing himself from the bed, he dragged his feet over to the door and swung it open hell-bent on getting himself some food to put into his grumbling stomach. He followed the straight past into the kitchen, looking at Al expectantly. After five minutes Alphonse glanced up, a slight frown on his face. "What?" He questioned, flipping over two grilled cheese sandwiches. Edward sank into the closest chair and rested his cheek on the rough surface tiredly, blowing flyway hairs away from his face. "What time is it?" He grumbled, not bothering to look up at the clock on the kitchen wall right in front of him. Edward chortled gruffly when he heard the younger man mutter, "I hate it when you answer a question with a question." Under his breath.

"Three fifteen." Al replied, before flipping the food onto two plates with a pile of cucumbers on each. Edward immediately perked up at the sight of food, sitting up straight as the food was placed in front of his hungry vision. There was a reason Alphonse did all of the cooking. Not only was his food actually _good_ but Edward couldn't cook dehydrated Ramon without blowing something up or catching something on fire. So, while Edward got the money, Al was the one who cooked. Equivalent exchange. Not that Edward would cook even if Al was the one who made the money, he would try, but the last time he attempted to make dinner he caught half of Winry's kitchen on fire and blew up the oven. He never wanted to go through that hell again.

Edward finished his sandwich, as well as two others and got up from the table, startling the younger brother. "Where are you going?" He said, quickly finishing his second sandwich in record time.

"To Mustangs office. I gotta get his signature if I'm going to find out who was the last one to see Shou Tuckers research." He pulled on his red jacket straightening out the hood behind him. He pulled the apartment key from their hook on the wall and shoved it into the opposite pocket from the one where his pocket watch rested.

"I'm out!" He yelled behind, closing the door when he heard Al reply, "Bye! Be safe!"

Edward sauntered down the dimly lit hallway, glaring at the flickering florescent lighting above him. I mean, God, they had enough money to buy half of the city but they couldn't fix the lights when they went out? What a load of bullshit. Edward exhaled loudly, jumping down the slippery stairs two at a time. When he finally reached the bottom his shirt was sticking to his chest and a thin sheen of sweat dampened the back of his neck. He pulled at his collar, cursing himself for wearing black in such hot weather. He could get heat stroke wearing this much. But instead of shrugging off his jacket he left it hugging his shoulders snugly, making his body temperature heighten. He wouldn't let anyone see his automail if he didn't have to.

Edward opened the military car by the sidewalk and pulled himself into the passenger's seat, smiling as the leather wrinkled beneath his weight. He put the car key into the ignition and twisted it, grinning widely when the automobile purred to life around him. He pulled from the curb, hit the gas and began moving towards Central Headquarters. Edward had acquired it the car for his seventeenth birthday, when the military realized that Edward usually walked everywhere. It had made things a lot easier for him, but it had also made him quiet lazy, so every night he decided to cruise the streets until the streetlights went on, then he would trek his way back to the apartment he shared with his younger brother.

Edward let the vehicle slide into parking in front of the Central Military Base, locking it up before he pushed himself up the never ending steps. He pushed open the door to the building, pulling out his watch to show the attentive guard he knew his place before continuing on through the maze of hallways and floors. He stopped in front of a small door, small murmurs filtering through the door. Edward grinned and pushed it open. "Major." Hawkeye greeted with a small smile.

"Hey, Hawkeye." He acknowledged, smiling at the rest of the team. "Hey! Boss! How's it going, haven't seen you in a while." Havoc welcomed, slinking forward to rest his arm around Edward's shoulders with a grin. Ed rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "Yeah, sorry, been real busy with the chimera case. " Havoc's naturally carefree face turned serious. "They still haven't caught that Bastard?" He said and Edward shook his head forlornly.

"I'm researching it right now, but I need Roy's signature to get some evidence." Havoc instantly brightened, holding his hands up as he backed up. "I get it, I get it," He cried, wiping fake tears from his eyes.

"You don't want me here...that's okay." Edward pushed Havoc out of the way with a smirk and kicked his way into Mustangs inner office, laughing when Havoc fell over the desk behind him, earning Jean a hard look from Riza, whose hand twitched towards her gun. As soon as Edward had entered Edward felt Roy's hard stare pierce his indifference like a stake.

"Ah, Fullmetal, what brings you to my office?" He was in a good mood by the casual way he greeted Edward, and he breathed out, relieved he wasn't pissed off because of the monstrous pile balanced precariously on the side of his desk. Edward walked forward and placed a blank paper on the desk, sliding it under Mustangs nose so he could see the meaning of it. "And what do you need with my signature, Edward?" He questioned, already thinking of logical explanations for Edward's rather tall desire.

"Well, you see, I have a lead. Al was looking over the papers with me, and he found out that they closely relate with Tuckers own notes. If I could see who accessed his research last then we could find out-" Roy raised a hand and narrowed his eyes.

"No." He said, clearly wanting no room for discussion. "But what if-" Roy cut him off with an icy glare. "I said no, we can't just go on empty leads that cause us to run in circles. This will get us no where, drop it or I'll pass the job on. To someone who is capable of doing the work."

Edward growled. "And what if I'm right?" He asked, letting malice drip into his tone.

"And what if your wrong and we search the house of a soldier, only to find out they had nothing to do with it. This is not up to discussion. You will not press this any further, do I make myself clear, Major?" Edward sent Roy a nasty look, grinding his teeth together in anger and frustration. "I'll prove you wrong." He said, snatching the signature sheet from Mustangs grasp. "I'll prove you wrong."

And then he strode out of the office, head held high, emotions buried deep. Ed let a sadistic smirk slide into place as he slammed the office door behind him, hearing Mustang curse as the paperwork pile fell to the floor. Hawkeye raised her eyebrow in question, but turned back to her paperwork when Edward simply strode past her with a furious resolve burning in his golden eyes like tawny fire. "Tell the Bastard," He began, stopping in front of the door that led out into the hall. Havoc raised his head.

"That when he takes his head out of his ass, we'll talk like _equals_, this time." And then he opened the door and kicked it shut behind him, turning down the hall towards the Research department.

Edward didn't pass anyone of higher rank than he was, and he had to hold onto his patience when they all saluted him like he was going to eat them for even walking in his presence. When he finally made it to the department he was irritable, furious and had the feeling that he was clutching at straws, since he knew that Roy was right about one thing. What if he was wrong? Well he wouldn't embarrass Roy Mustangs team by making them come along, he would go by himself. He would sneak into that son of a bitch's house and he would find the evidence he needed to put that person in front of the firing squad as soon as they went to work that next morning.

Edward smirked at his own tactics, knowing full well how immature it was. He walked up smoothly to the front desk and greeted the girl behind it with a smile. "Hey, Janine." He said, letting his arms rest on the counter. Ed had been there plenty of times to where he knew every secretaries name by heart. Every one of them liked him, as far as he knew, and so he wasn't surprised when she smiled back at him at ease.

"What brings you to our oh-so-happy department, Elric?" She asked looking at him over her glasses. She was tall and intimidating, with warm grey-blue eyes and a kinky sense of humor. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun with a pencil stuck in the tangle of brown. She had a crooked front tooth that made her beauty slightly more eccentric.

"I forgot to grab a profile for the chimera case I'm working on," He replied with a slanted grin, tapping a gloved finger on the wood. "You mind if I go and grab it quickly?"

Janine scribbled something down on a notepad and walked out from behind the counter. Her keys clanked together musically before she unlocked an office door and pushed it open for Ed to enter. "Go right ahead." She said with a grin before letting the door swing close behind him. Edward felt a pinch of guilt in his system for lying to her, but he quickly smothered it, knowing full well that this could either make or break the case.

He strolled down the hallway flipping on a light switch before skimming through the files in a cabinet. "Alisa, Apple, Buckelyn, Barily, Carlis." He murmured to himself, smiling as he came to the T's. The filing cabinet he was shifting through was the research notes of the deceased State Alchemist, dating far back into the past. Some were lost, and some were too old to hold, so the legible ones were kept behind a locked door, only with a signature from your superior officer would you be able to enter the office. But since Edward was working on a very large case, Ed thought he should have been able to have full access to the files. And luckily, Janine thought so too.

Edward pulled out Shou Tuckers research notes slowly, opening the file with lackadaisical grace. He pulled out the back paper and looked it over leisurely. Edward whistled softly and muttered with a small grin, "Fuck, this is far deeper into the Brass than I thought." On the back of every file was a sheet of paper showing the printed name of everyone who had looked over the notes. It was required for every note and scrap, for what scared the military the most was not being in control, or not knowing what their dogs were doing. Edward's grin widened and he murmured out loud to the empty room, "Major General Reskae Dutson, here I come."

Edward quickly shoved the paper back into its place and slid it into the cabinet, closing the drawer as brisk and quiet as he could. He walked speedily towards the door, trying to ignore the nausea that swelling in his stomach at the sound of a hard, cold voice just outside the door. He pulled it open and skidded to a halt when he nearly ran into a tall, thin man. "'Cuse me." He cut out, starting to move around the man in front of him. "Major Edward Elric." Edward stopped and looked up with a small glare.

Edward found himself looking into a pair of black, pig-like eyes. Major General Dutson. Edward let his face go expressionless and he nodded shortly before snapping a salute. "Sir," He replied back smoothly, hoping his acting was better than everyone claimed it was. Dutson sneered down at him, and the light hit his flushed face dramatically as he nodded at him before turning towards Janine and saying in a gentle, faintly pissed tone, "I'll be staying late tonight, Private. Make sure no one disturbs me." Then he moved forward into the room Edward had once occupied. He shut the door behind him with a hard 'click'. Ed flinched and started walking towards the door looking back at the door with distaste. But something caught his interest. '_I'll be staying late tonight..._' A grin lit Edward face. Tonight.

"What crawled up his ass and died?" Janine whispered quietly behind her hand. Edward gave a snort of laughter. Janine had never feared the higher ups, despite the rumor of them taking out any who opposed them. She was quick and witty, and she had a cunning grace about her that made for a great alley or a horrible enemy.

"Probably his dignity." He replied, and then he fell into silence. Edward asked one, very important question, "How often does he come here?"

Janine sighed and shrugged. "He comes in here every other day, I guess. Though, this was the first time this week." Edward nodded and walked away from the counter, stopping to wave back at her before moving out into the hall. His stride was brisk and long, and his shoes made slapping sound on the marble floor, echoing down the empty hallway.

Now all he needed to find was the place were Reskae lived, then he could go investigate. And he knew just the man to help him. Someone who wouldn't blow him off before his got right to the point.

Maes Hughes.


	2. Behind My Animal Attire

**Authors Note: **I try really hard to capture my reader's attention, as well as make each sentence descriptive and well written, so if you find any errors in my story please feel free to point them out to me and I'll fix them as soon as possible. Constructive criticism is welcome, but I do not want to see any flames.

(I don't know whether to make this story M or T, so it will be T until I decide otherwise. If you think that this story is leaning more towards M, don't be afraid to tell me.)

**Warning: Language, violence and gore**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, but I do own the plot**

Edward walked swiftly down the bustling hallway with quick determined strides, back straight, eyes looking forward towards the far end of the hall. His right, automail hand was in his pocket, twirling a coin around his metal fingers subconsciously and his left was swinging back and forth, hand clenched into a fierce fist. His eyes looked from side to side, watching for any sign of danger, any enemies who might be lurking just outside his line of vision. To anyone who didn't know this brilliant young prodigy, they would claim he was paranoid.

He turned down the hall on the soles of his shoes, listening to them squeak against the marble floor. The corridor was filled with activity now that the paperwork had been finished, soldiers trekking their way home after a long day at work, people working late saying their good-byes. People yelled at each other from different ends of the hall and clapped each other on the shoulders. None of this helped to calm Edward's frayed nerves. Ed pushed himself through a group of people, startling them out of the way. His eyes were narrowed and his patience was slowly slipping away with each step down the painfully long hallway. Each whisper seemed to penetrate his senses and each shuffle had him clutching at his self-restraint like airborne feathers. Edward Elric did not like small, deafening halls, filled with boisterous people.

When he finally made it to Hughes office, he had nearly broken a First Lieutenant's nose for bumping into him, he cussed out a Captain for yelling too loud, and his head was throbbing from an uncontrollable headache. He pushed open the door timidly, glaring out into the hectic office, moving quickly out of the way as someone rushed past him with a tall stack of paperwork. He took five steps forward and skidded to a halt in from of a squat, plump man. He looked Edward up and down and said, "Are you here to see Colonel Hughes?" Edward blinked up at the man calmly.

"Yeah." He replied shortly, starting to move around him, only to be blocked again by the plump man. "You'll have to wait a while, kid, he's busy." Edward felt his patience break and his lips grew thin as he fought the urge to punch the man square in the nose.

"What is your rank?" Edward spit out with a slight narrowing of his eyes. The man smiled, oblivious to the hostile aura emitting from Edward's body.

"Why," He started, letting his smile grow wider. "I'm Second Lieutenant Chowder Pearish, and you are?"

Edward let a malicious smirk adorn his lips, and he said confidently, enjoying the way Pearish's eyes bugged out, "I'm Major Edward Elric, and this is urgent, if you have a perfect excuse to why I'm not allowed entrance to Maes inner office, I might respect your authority, otherwise, move out of my way. I am not in the mood for your _childish_ games." Chowder Pearish was out of the way before he had even finished to sentence, making Ed smile superiorly. He strode forward, yanking open the door into Maes office. Unlike the area behind him it was quiet with the exception of Hughes fast angry words. He was speaking into a black telephone, twirling the wire around his pointer finger of his left hand while writing something down.

"No! I've told you, you- It has nothing to do with that, if you can't seem to figure that out then why the hell did they assign you to-" He paused, letting the other person catch up with his fast and witty words.

"Roy, be reasonable, he might be right, your letting your personal desires get in front of your better judgment, its not a matter of 'if' its a matter of 'it might end all of this pointless killings' sometimes you need to-" He stopped talking when he noticed Edward standing by the door, letting a stunned expression slide onto his face.

"I gotta call you back. Yeah, yeah, okay, talk to you later." And he slammed the phone down onto the cradle, smiling widely as he went around his desk to wrap his arm around Edward's shoulders.

"Hey Eddie, what's up?" Edward felt his eye twitch. "I said not to call me that." He snapped out, gritting his teeth as Maes airy laugh filled the room. "I need you to find out where someone lives."

Hughes laughter stopped abruptly, and he pulled his arm away carefully. His lips curved downward and his brow furrowed with confusion and quick calculations. "Who?" He said cautiously, raising his hand to push his glasses back up his nose. Edward let out a relieved breath, before glancing around nervously.

"Major General Reskae Dutson." His tone was hushed and left no room for argument, and Maes started, pulling back with the subtle widening of his eyes. "God," He began, brushing his hair from his eyes. "This is far deeper than I thought." Ed nodded in agreement, letting a challenging spark enter his golden eyes.

"I was hoping you would agree with me, I had to all but break my neck to get the information I needed." He leaned in closer and murmured softly, "Dutson has been going there looking over all of Tuckers notes every other day for about a month." Maes nodded sagely and turned away to rummage through something at his desk.

"Which means...?" He began, grabbing the phone before dialing out a number. Edward grinned. "Which means that he is our best lead." Maes nodded and straightened up quickly.

"General Kakani, I- no, sir, this is dire, yes-yes I understand. Please, sir, I need your full attention." Edward raised his eyebrows curiously. For Maes to be trusting someone of such rank was a rarity indeed, he must trust this man with his life.

"I need some information on a certain- yes I know how dangerous this is, but you get around and it's for the chimera case." He paused, head lolling forward to rest limply.

"Major General Reskae Dutson. Yes, sir. I just need his address...yes...Thank you, General Kakani, bye now." He hung up and turned to Edward with a sly glint in his eyes. "Saku Kakani is a noble, honest man. Hot tempered, but reliable none the less. He'll have your information in no time, probably within the hour." Hughes smiled. "He's one of the few who believe that people's lives are worth more than gold."

Edward bobbed his head in satisfaction. This is just what he needed to put Dutson away for a very long to time. To end the pointless murders which left everyone feeling sick and empty. This was no time for superstitions, if there was a lead, or anything indicating that a person was involved, they better take it seriously. The smallest bit of information could tip the scales measurably. Once Edward had this information, he was going to make good use of it. But first, he would need to get the evidence he needed. Nobody would throw a man away if there was no substantial confirmation that backed Edward up. All he needed was a single note, a bloodstain, or, even better, a body. Then, he would be able to beat the fuck out of that bastard without any sympathy, without anyone telling him to do otherwise.

"Call me at the apartment when you get the info, 'kay?" He queried, heading towards the door. When he entered the outer office it was much quieter. Whispered questions passed back and forth, and Chowder, sitting quietly at his desk, was sweating furiously, the fluorescent lighting making each drop shine. He dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief and tried not to look too conspicuous when he stole, quick, nervous glances towards Ed. Edward did not like it one bit.

"Nice summer weather, eh Second Lieutenant?" He inquired cryptically, looking at the sweating man out of the corner of his eyes. Then, not waiting for an answer, he fled the harrowingly quiet office.

Behind him he heard Maes voice yelling out to his subordinates, "Get back to work!" And the noise increased considerably at the order.

Edward shook his head and walked hastily towards the exit to Headquarters.

Once outside, he jumped in his car, turned the key in the ignition and sped away from the abominable military base. He parked his car about a mile away from his house and jumped out, locking up before he took off running towards his apartment. It was nice to feel the air as if swept through his bangs and cooled the sweat on his face. It had chilled down considerably since he was last outside, making metaphorical fingers run down his spine, racking shivers over his shoulders as he kept running. Many people stopped to watch him, amused and curious to why he was flying past them with great speed.

When he finally made it into his room, his breathing was short and erratic and adrenaline pumped through his veins like a drug. He nerves were smoothed, and his hair was a wild halo around his head from the mad dash.

"I think I'm going to go for a jog." He announced, rummaging through the drawers for his sweats. Alphonse poked his head in through the open doorway.

"Okay." He nodded to himself and grinned. "You look like you need one anyway." Edward through his sweaty T-shirt at him, which Al dodged with a laugh. "God, you really are a brat." Alphonse shrugged in silent acceptance and disappeared from Edwards view. Ed kicked his pants to the corner of the room and pulled the Sweats over his slim waist, pulling a black undershirt on before topping it off with a sweatshirt. He tucked his keys into his back pocket and raced out the door, happy to be out and moving.

"Bye Al, be good, don't go pyro on me and burn down the apartment while I'm gone!" He called behind him merrily.

"I assure you, I will!" His brother retorted, and Edward laughed before jogging down the hall. A free feeling bubbled in his chest and he jumped down the stairs three at a time, bursting with youthful energy. Each step brought ceaseless excitement into his eyes, and he focused on the pull of his muscles every time he moved faster. When he at last burst through the door of the apartment building he took off at an even greater speed, memorizing the motion that caused adrenaline to pulse through him with an unbroken promise.

_I will keep you going_.

Edward felt his lips pull at the thought and he pushed himself faster, letting the buildings blur and the surprised persons watch him push himself to his limit with amazement. Edward's muscular body was pushed and pushed until ultimately, Ed had to stop. He panted hard, letting his wheezing breaths smoothed out, and his aching body relax into the park bench he had collapsed onto. Ed let his head loll backwards until he was looking up at a cloudless night. The stars winked at him, and a gentle breeze blew his hair to the side, whispering through the tall green trees around him. The cobblestone path was hard under his shoes and each inhale and exhale was a noticeable sigh in the tranquility of the night.

Edward closed his eyes peacefully, letting his ears pick up the soft babble of the nocturnal animals, senses alert to any approaching dangers. But all that sounded was the distant cry of a suburban coyote, yowling into the crescent moon and an owl screeching in a nearby roost. Edward didn't know how long he stayed there, letting the darkness cover him, but gradually the realization that Edward was suppose to receive a call made him pick himself from his slumped form on the bench and take off running towards his house.

"Al!" He yelled when he sprinted through the door into his house. Alphonse appeared from around the corner. Flour covered his hair and face, and he was wiping his hands on a dish towel, his expression confused and adorable with a brown smudge on his nose and on his cheek. Chocolate frosting. But Edward was in too much of a hurry to notice.

"Did I get a call?" Alphonse nodded and pointed towards the phone on the counter top in the kitchen. "Mr. Hughes called; he left a message for you. It's by the phone." And with that he turned around and returned to the cake batter on the counter and the frosting beside it. Edward snatched up the note promptly and forced himself not to look too eager as he unfolded the note more slowly than before. He rapidly drank up the information inside.

_523 Farris Street_

_A light blue house. Porch swing._

Edward smiled impishly and tucked the note away in his inside pocket, patting it affectionately. He turned towards the kitchen and found himself staring into Alphonse downcast face.

"What?" He snapped, turning away to sit down at the table, picking through the files which were still there. Al shrugged and went back to stirring the frosting with haste.

"Nothing, I just don't think I like what you're getting your self into, Ed." Edward jumped up and slunk closer, looking from his younger brothers face to the bowl of chocolate back to his face, trying to make his eyes seem wide and needy. Alphonse looked down at his with a hard expression. Then slowly his lower lip began to quiver slightly, and he threw the wooden spoon down in defeat.

"Fine!" He shouted, grabbing a metal spoon from the counter. "Have a lick." Edward's face broke into a smile and he dumped the spoon into the bowl and pulled out a large glob, sticking it inside his mouth with an audible moan of ecstasy.

"God, Al." He groaned around the spoon. "How the fuck do you do this?"

Alphonse paid no heed to Edward's affection, but the slight blush that sprinkled his nose said otherwise.

When Edward dove for another spoonful he was blocked by a very agitated Alphonse. "No more!" He shrieked. "You want cake right? Go do something useful like take a shower, you smell bad." He wrinkled his nose for emphases. Edward threw the spoon into the sink, offended. It clattered against the other dirty dishes.

"Never had I thought my own brother would turn into a rude, back-stabbing _brat_!" He put his hand on his lips to hide the smirk that lay on his lips. "I can't believe it, and people say I'm the _bad_ brother, I do object!" But he turned away anyway and dragged his different feet towards the bathroom.

He'd have to wait for a chance to escape, and this was just it. Screw the shower, he was going the kick some ass. With his left hand he scribbled a quick note, and placed it onto the small, lumpy couch and opened the front door. Suddenly he grinned. This was it. Finally, he would prove that cocky bastard wrong, and when he did he was going to rub it into his face for a long time like in was pudding instead of an accomplishment. Edward pulled the door shut behind him soundlessly.

Never would he miss an opportunity like this.

Edward crouched into the brushes with an experienced stealth. He was resting on the balls of his feet, breathing shallowly, coat hood pulled up to hide the brilliant golden glow of his head. His eyes scanned the area and his automail arm was pressed stiffly to his side to stop it from squeaking. Edward pushed himself upward slowly, attuning his senses to the land around him. His ears strained to catch any hint of a breath, scuttle and his eyes darted left and right, looking out for any movement in his peripheral vision. Silently, he prayed General Reskae's neighbors didn't notice the bright light of his alchemy as his transmuted the lock on window. Blue lightning clawed its way inside and melted the metal latch on the inside. Edward pushed the window up slowly, looked around suspiciously, and slipped inside apprehensively.

Edward couldn't stand the suspense, the fragile balance that kept Edward hidden from the watchful lighting of the moon. The floorboard's creaked under his metal foot, and he winced, glancing around like a paranoid animal. But all that returned his gaze was a few white lumps surrounding the room. Edward straightened up, intrigued by the peculiar white bulges arranged tactfully around the room. Ed crept closer and grabbed the white cloth, pulling it off with the flick of his wrist. Edward immediately hissed and backed up, knowing full well that he had been played. The object beneath that sheet was an old, antique pink chair, small traces of dust blemishing its perfect features.

Nobody had lived in this house for years.

_Watch it_! His mind spit out as he saw a glimmer of metal pierce his senses just behind him. Ed swirled around, slamming his hands together and making his automail arm one long, deathly sharp blade. He pushed himself forward jabbing the shrouded figure in the gut with his elbow. Quickly he pulled himself upright and slammed his fist into the fiends face, knocking then against the wall. Blood feel from the person's figure, glinting in the moonlight like crimson daggers. Suddenly someone's arm wrapped around his waist and something was thrust against his mouth and nose, pristine white against the black shadows. Edwards mind screeched at him not to breathe, and he held his breath, struggling to untangle himself from the folds of the enemy's chest. His brain screamed for oxygen, and it was only when the man he would have beaten, in front of him, slammed his fist into Edward's stomach with a hint of vengeance in the force.

Edward reflectively sucked in a breath, coughing as the sickly sweet clogged its way down his throat and nose. Immediately, the room began spinning, and he blinked as the foe in front of him stepped forward into the moonlight, pulled back the black cloth that covered his primary features, and grinned as Edward's eyes widened with recognition before the chloroform began to drag him under.

"That was for humiliating me in front of the higher ups, you bitch." Chowder Pearish spit out with a bitter vindictiveness. His small, brown eyes, glinted, and a feverish flush sprinkled across his face in blotches, reminding Edward of the hated liver spots. Sweat dripped down his face and his teeth gritted against each other nervously. His movements were jerked and awkward, and each breath seemed to wheeze out of him. His eyes twitched, and Ed suspected it would not be long before this man broke down, or burst into hysterical fits of laughter.

Edward bit down hard onto his lip, hoping the pain would wake his senses even a little bit, but instead the feeling was dulled and the taste of blood filled his mouth when he broke through skin. Ed felt his eyelids grow heavy, and sickly warmth grew through him until he felt his muscles, lock and then go lax in the assaulter's arms. They hoisted Ed up over their shoulder with ease he swung around, limp as a rag doll, unable to do anything more than moan, before a darkness thicker than tar washed over him and pulled him under with painfully slow.

Edward was stuck in a place where time itself was undermined, a simple, meaningless word. He was in a place where none spoke and none moved. All was still in the dark, murky trenches of Ed's subconscious, and every time he found the motivation to push himself up the thickness, he would be pulled back under with more force than the one before. In his head, was a memory that repeated over and over again, like a tape rewinding itself each time. It was the time when he found Shou leaning over his daughter, his latest creation, a chimera. Edward didn't know why it ran constantly through his tormented mind, but all he knew was that it wasn't always Nina's face looking at him through accusing eyes, dark and wild. Sometimes it was his mother who was seen there, sometimes it was Al. And on the very last time before his mind and body finally reached to pull them from the darkness, he saw his own face staring back at him, twisted and demented behind animal stupidity.

Edward was startled up, forcing his eyes to open sluggishly as something rumbled beneath him. A car. Ed was lying in the back of a car on his side. The windows were tinted a neutral gray, and the leather seats crinkled beneath his weight. Ed's hands were behind his back, placed strategically apart from each other so he couldn't use his alchemy. It gave Edward a simple idea of the character. Someone who knew Edward's strength, and power. This shadowy figure had not underestimated him like many past kidnappers had. And that both gave Edward an advantage and disadvantage. He could act when he had too, not perfectly, but it would suffice. It wouldn't be as easy to fool someone who was suspicious of his might.

Edward breathed out sharply when the car started bumping around crazily, potholes, or quiet likely, a gravel road. They would want to go to a secluded area to take him out, though; he still had his doubts about their intention. No uncertainty in the fact that is was because he got to close, which meant he was right.

Reskae Dutson.

He had proved Mustang wrong, but frankly, he wasn't too pleased about it. What was the point of being right when he couldn't gloat it in Roy's face, and watch the emotions flicker like a passionate fire behind the masks. What point would it be if he couldn't get underneath the mask for just once in his life? Edward let his eyes drift shut when he felt the car lurch to a stop slowly. He tried to make his erratic breathing slow itself down to where it seemed as if he were sleeping, but beneath his eyelids his eyes were moving back and forward nervously.

Tow car doors slammed shut simultaneously, and he heard the dulled sound of boot crunching on rocks. The door near his head opened and he tensed, as a wave of cold air blew into his face. Ed tried to will his body to relax, but each rustle, every whisper against his skin caused him to shiver in apprehension. Something hot was under his neck and he felt his heart sped up on the contact, before realizing it was someone checking his pulse.

"He's awake." A deep masculine voice acknowledged, and Edward threw himself from the car, kicking off with his automail foot before he even had the chance to open his eyes. He stumbled, catching himself before he was sprawled across the gravel. He forced his legs to move at alarming speed, only pausing to look over his shoulder at the two men chasing after him, slowly gaining up as they attained higher speeds. He squinted past the sweat in his eyes and tried to find anyplace that was inhabited. If they were wearing Blue uniforms, they wouldn't dare to ruin their reputation and put themselves in jeopardy. But all that surrounded him was a thick forest, trapping him within its wilderness.

Suddenly something was thrown on him, pinning to the dirt and pushing the air out of his lungs. He coughed and dry heaved, thankful that he hadn't eaten the chocolate cake that his younger brother had made. Someone panted above him, and he wiggled in futile hope that they would be too exhausted to stop him from escaping. The man grabbed Edward by the back of his neck, lifted it up and smashed it down on the dirt below him repeatedly. Edward felt blood drip from his nose and he turned his head to glare defiantly at his kidnapper. The man was large, with broad shoulders and huge intelligent eyes. His hair was brown, buzz cut down to his skull neatly. The man pushed Edwards face down into the dirt until he tasted it, gritty in his mouth, coating his tongue.

Then, watching in horror, he realized that the object in his hand was a large syringe, glinting in the green lighting of the trees. The bulky man grinned and he pushed the needle down towards Ed's neck slowly, clearly enjoying the way Edward squirmed in terror.

"Newly created drug," he said, lifting it back up to look at the clear liquid in the piston with a sick eagerness which made Ed gag in repulsion.

"Makes the muscles stiff and clumsy, but not enough to totally immobilize someone, but just enough to where they would have to trip and stumble and crawl to escape. It works wonders." He added the last part in fascination. His gaze flickered to Edward.

"And now you have the honor of testing it out." He stated, leaning down close to whisper it into his ear. His breath smelt of rotting flesh and decay. He moved Edward's golden, wispy hair from his nape without hurry, relishing in the fear that shone in Edward's eyes, and plunged the long needle into his neck, stifling the loud scream that carried through Ed as the pain took up his focus with his hand. He depressed the needle all the way and pulled it out slowly, savoring the look of dread and panic in his face.

Edward whimpered pathetically. If there was one thing he hated, it was needles, or anything that stuck into his skin. This was something he would not stand for. Edward felt pure and simple rage sweep over him like a wave, making fury shine deep in his eyes. He twisted around knocking the syringe from his neck and the traitor's careless hands. The man pulled back, not surprised and growled when Ed rammed his head into the mans stomach hard. Edward was sure he heard a few ribs break. The male twisted away and gasped, clutching at his stomach, looking up at Ed in shock from under his lashes. He groaned and began to back up, only to stop short when Edward slammed his knee into his groin. He collapsed on the ground, heaving and sucking air like a fish on land. Ed felt no pity for a man like him.

Edward backed away, trying to ignore the stiffness in his joints and muscles. Obviously the drug was working, and Ed teetered forward as the world around him swam and spun unfairly. He staggered towards a tree and fought to regain his balance, twisting his hands around in his manacles gingerly. Raw skin hit the metal in, searing his skin with pain and ice as he hissed under his breath. Ed barely even paid any heed to the figure walking up in front of him, and just simply made a low harsh noise in the back of his throat when they hoisted him over their shoulder carefully. He swallowed carefully, wincing as it burned sharply. Vaguely, he heard people talking quietly.

"God, that damn whore has one hell of a punch." The bulky man moaned.

"Get off your ass and get the car ready, I don't want Major General Dutson spitting at us for being late." Edward stiffened. The voice was that of a woman's, alarming Ed to no extreme. It's not like Edward had never met a women who was immoral, it was the fact that this female had thrown him over her shoulder like he was a sack of potatoes instead of a nearly 200 pound man. But Ed should have known not to underestimate someone by their appearances, he himself had gone through a time when all people would do was scorn him for his mistakes and act as if he were a bad person, all at first glance. Their scrutiny was hard to overcome, and now, living comfortably, famous and notorious for various things, the same people were begging him for his attention. It always surprised Ed what people would do for power, fame and money.

"Shut up, Laurie, I didn't ask for your damn opinion." He mumbled.

Laurie snorted and retorted back coldly, "That wasn't an opinion, Becken that was a threat." Iciness had crept into her tone and he could hear Becken pause, and fall into silence wisely. Ed had no doubt that this woman could beat the shit out of the bulky man, just as Edward could have, had his hands been untied. Ed's jaw clenched and he squirmed around a bit before going motionless when Laurie jostled him with her shoulder.

"Just be quiet and be still, Edward Elric. There is nothing you can do." Her voice was full of sorrow and she sounded regretful, as remorseful as a wolves howling cry.

"Why should I!" Edward slurred furiously, whipping his head to the side, only to let it fall back onto the woman's shoulder, limp, dizzy and struggling not to shake. Laurie stopped walking.

"Because there are lives at stake."

Edward's body immediately became rigid and he hissed out as clearly as possible, "Who? Who's in danger?"

Laurie shrugged. "Your brother, his lady, your lover, and other people you love. Mine included." She bit out that last part, and Edward knew what she was doing. She was doing it to protect her family. One part of her speech caught Edward's undivided interest making him pull enough energy out of himself to lift his head from her shoulder blade.

"Lover? Of whom are you referring to?" Laurie laughed mirthlessly. "Isn't that Mustang man your lover? You seem to be quite acquainted." Edward felt his face heat up, and his eyes widened.

"N-No," He spit out in a whispered yell. "It's not like that. I _hate_ that bastard!" Again the woman chuckled.

"Laurie, toss 'em in here!" Becken yelled to her, waving his arm in the air. Laurie smiled wickedly and pulled Ed from her shoulder, throwing him inside the back seats with a small, fake smirk. "Hope your comfortable, squirt."

Edward just grumbled at the insult.

It's not as if Edward had not considered the possibility of Roy and Ed becoming lovers. He had fantasized about it more than once and each time it had sent a roaring heat to his face and a deep, meaningful feeling to curl up around his ribs and spine and suffocate him while he tried to get past the logic that always blocked him and his desire. Roy was something untouchable, dark as a storm cloud with a heart full of fire and hunger. Edward had always felt that his piercing gaze bore through him into his inner self and each time it was the dark sensual look that returned his gaze when he turned around to challenge Mustang. Then it would vanish, steam on a windy day. Roy was an enigmatic being, controlled, arrogant, and striking. Edward had no wonders to why Roy had so many lovers wrapped around his finger and why practically every person, men and women alike, threw themselves this way and that for his attention.

And each time jealous feelings built up. It was like trying to hold your breath underwater. Your pushed from all sides, and you act as if you hate that person who drives you crazy. Edward had never hated Roy Mustang. He had despised his authority, longed for his touch, and wished they had never met and used each other all at once. Roy was someone that Edward could not see through, not that Ed was good at doing that anyway, but some people were pretty transparent when they were at their best. Edward enjoyed trying to break that barrier that Roy set up for himself, he tried to pull off Roy's mask and crumble it in his hands. He was hungry for Mustang, inside and out. Never had Ed wanted someone so much that it hurt. To reach up and let his fingers slide through Roy's silky black strands and grind their bodies together in a way that brought about pain and pleasure, twisted together to form something different. It would be like hell and heaven.

Edward was weak for Mustang.

Slowly, it dawned on him that the first rays of sun were filtering over the horizon. There was no doubt that Alphonse had already informed Mustang of Edward's disappearance. Alphonse was always a practical person, and didn't let his pride get control of him if he ever needed help. He was probably cursing his very name of course, but Edward knew that Al would find him. What he was concerned about was whether he would find Ed dead or alive. Edward shuttered and hoped despairingly that they would find him before it was too late.

The car skidded to a stop and one car opened and closed. They opened his door, grabbed him under his armpits and slung him over their shoulder. Laurie. The pavement beneath her was smooth and newly paved, and Ed had a sneaking suspicion that they were on the New Development site, a project that had started only a year before. They were building houses, rich houses, on the outskirts of Central so they could have privacy. Old money was a key motivator for the constructors. Edward lethargically lifted his head and glanced around him. They were going down a walkway to one of the newer houses. Ed struggled to pull free as they Laurie unlocked to door and kicked it in, wincing as it banged against the wall.

A sterile, anesthetic smell reached his nose and he fought the urge to cough hard. The place was relatively empty, and Edward's body slowly began to tense up as Laurie opened a door and descended down a flight of stairs at a quick, confident pace. A thing of cold damp air blew into his face and nipped at the waistline of his shirt with a stinging persistence. Edward swallowed anxiously and wiggled, trying to get loose. But Laurie simply grunted and dug her fingers into Ed's side. Then he was thrown onto the floor. He took that moment to take in his surroundings.

He was in a square room. The walls were made out of stone, and moss grew in the cracks from the dampness. He was in the middle of a large transmutation circle, made out of blood and chalk. Its intricate design swirled around him, complex and intimidating, one that could suck an Alchemist dry if they didn't know how to control it. Next to him, was a leopard in a metal cage, mewing timidly, looking around it mournfully. It knew. Somehow, buried under propaganda, and an animals skin was an intelligence that surpassed even that of Ed's. Edward forced his shaky muscles to push himself onto his elbows. He glared at the man in front of him with a fury he had never felt before.

Reskea Dutson.

"You can go now Sergeant Major." He said waving his hand in the air. "Yes, sir." She replied, snapping a salute before turning around and retreating back up the stairs. That bastard had the nerve to stand in front of him with a cocky grin adorning his lips. He was wearing a black suit with shoes made of patent leather, shining dimly in the feeble lighting. He walked forward with a sophisticated saunter, taking his time as he bent down over Edward and smirked.

"You thought you were so clever." He snapped his fingers, and two burly men strode forward. They knelt in front of him and with strong hands pushed him down. They unlatched his hands, careful to keep them apart and began to pull of his shirt and pants, and he shouted grappled with them with stiff, clumsy muscles. When they had finally succeeded, their nimble fingers went to Edward's automail and disconnected it. Edward felt his hairs stand on end and the stump of his leg and the port of his arm tingle and twitch as the nerves disconnected themselves slowly. His arm and his leg were tossed over onto the side of the circle and Ed groaned as his body twitched and convulsed under Dutson's hard scrutiny. He reached over and grabbed Edward ponytail, lifting him from his fetal position on the ground. Edward made a low threatening sound in the back of his throat, squinting at him over the pain.

"Be still now, Edward, it'll be less painful."

He dropped Edward onto the ground, ignoring Ed's yelp as his head banged against the cold, stone ground. He turned away from Edward and walked to the end of the circle, getting on his knees before slamming his hands onto the edge of the transmutation. Ed tried to crawl from the circle, anything to stop to alchemy from taking its toll. Red electricity sparked up around him and crawled over his body making his hair raise with static electricity. The big cat beside him whimpered and flinched into the back of its cage, fear in its big, cunning eyes. The first thing that happened was with the animal. Its eyes widened and it started yowling, writhing in pain on the bottom of the cage as its tail began to fold itself, leaving a bloody, bald spot on it's tail bone.

Edward cried out as he felt his body pull taunt and then something pushed its way from his skin, making him yelp as the pain radiated throughout his body. It was clear to him that Ed and the cat were exchanging parts of their body, slowly, agonizingly painful. Edward bit down hard on his lip as a scream built up in his throat. His body was being taken apart and pulled back together, and he let himself cry out as his ears went numb on the side of his head. Something poked its way from the top part of his skull, sending another wave of torture through him. He was going to die. He could accept that now, in the dark underground chamber.

His teeth grew long and sharp, and his back leg was pulled out and twisted into a humanoid version of a cats back leg. What surprised him the most was when something began pulling itself from Edward's body. A right arm. It was mostly cat, with a small amount of human from Ed's shoulder. He heaved and thrashed as his human fingers shorted and grew large extendable claws. Golden fur sprouted from his skin and small black spots adorned it. Leopard's fur.

Edward wasn't sure how long it lasted, but it felt like days. Horror erupted in his heart as his pupils dilated and became oval shaped. Immediately the cavern became lighter, and he could see farther. His senses were on fire. His nerves ached and stung, his ears rung with new clarity, and his nostrils flared with the new, sick smells of raw flesh, and taboo. Blood burst in his mouth and filled his vision with red and his taste with copper and a nauseating tang of forbidden alchemy. Each moment his body was twisted and reshaped, molded into a sick half human half beast form. Crimson coated his body, it swam in the room smothering, stifling, and clogging up every sense with a taste of copper and death.

And then it stopped. His body tingled with pain and horror and his new limbs throbbed uncontrollably as blood rushed out to make movement. Edward yowled, and was surprised to hear such an animal sound that it made him think that the animal beside him had done it. But when he turned his head towards the caged creature he realized that it was dead. Edward let his body go limp on the floor, coughing up blood and letting himself fall back into darkness, into the cold fake tranquility of his subconscious.

Someone walked towards him and picked him up. Someone was washing the blood from his face roughly. Someone was taking him outside. They were driving away from his other half. His human half, left in the dank basement whimpering in a fetal position on the floor.

But Ed paid no heed. He was being sucked under into a world of animal ignorance.

_Help_, he wanted to whisper.

"_Help_."


	3. To Find Him Long Gone

**Authors Note: **I want to thank everyone who reviewed (TailsMoon, mysterious-Becca-D, BlackWolf2Dragoon, FMAgirl, Ki and Onyxx-090) your reviews brightened my day and lit up my life. Thanks especially to BlackWolf2Dragoon, whom was extremely helpful with my grammar and the format of my writing. You all inspire me!

**Warning: Tension and the torture of a man (Not extreme)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemsit, but I do own the plot**

Roy was trying hard not to panic. And though he barely succeeded, he still felt the painful jumpy feeling residing in his gut like a mind nagging trouble. Each step caused his legs to shake and his fingers were itching the tear something apart, to catch something on fire. The seconds ticked by, one after another, useless and painfully long, always ticking away in his ear so loudly that he was yearning to throw something at the clock. Each second wasted was another minute towards the inevitable. Edward was gone.

It had been twenty-four hours since Alphonse called in desperation, tone laced with despair and absolute dread. He had claimed the late at night, Ed had snuck out quiet as a midnight fog and Alphonse had no clue where he could have gone. Roy couldn't help but think that it had something to do with the fact that Roy had blown Ed off, without a second thought, trying to protect and push away the one thing he actually wanted. Edward. It didn't help Roy to thing about the possibilities, that maybe the killer who had been transmuting people into chimeras had caught Ed and he was already dead, DNA grafted and twisted into something grotesque and impossible gory. Head broken, body mangled, eyes staring at you, a white and milky gold, glazed over and the reek of forbidden alchemy and rotting flesh stifling. It was such a perilous feeling, trying to balance out his feelings while looking desperately for Ed.

Roy breathed out slowly, watching his breath make moisture shapes in the air. It had grown considerably cold since Edward's disappearance, and Roy leaned against the raining, looking at the small, uniformed people on the ground below. Roy was standing on the rooftop of Central, trying to exhale his worries and irritations, but instead his thoughts swirled inside him like sparks of fire. What had Edward discovered? Would Ed still be here if Roy hadn't have pushed him away? What would he do if he found Edward dead? What would they do? Roy scrubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand, sighing as the questions weighed him down with a suffocating force.

Roy let the gentle breeze blow through his midnight hair, ignoring the strands that covered his eyes. Everything was so pristine in the morning light, filtering in through the mist. His blue military jacket was thrown aside and his white dress shirt underneath was unbuttoned from the top, his collar swaying around his neck. He let his head loll until his chin touched his chest. Think, Roy, he thought to himself furiously, think! Each seconded he stood there, wallowing in his guilt and pity, Edward was out there, alone. Torturous images of Edward's dead form on the ground, of blood coating his golden skin, of his fire eyes dull and lifeless flitted through Roy's head. It was the worst torment.

Roy picked himself from the railing, and walked backwards a moment, appreciating the misty dawn, rays of dull sunlight filtering in through the drops of dew. He turned around, and was startled when he saw Hughes lean, wiry form leaning against the open doorway of the building. His head tilted downward, making the light bounce off his glasses in a dramatic way. He pushed himself from his relaxed pose against the wall and waited until Roy was in the hallway to follow after him. They stood shoulder to shoulder, not even stopping to comfort the younger recruits who snapped a salute with a timid aura about them. Perhaps they had heard of the notorious womanizer whose alchemy was of high class.

Maes was the first to break the silence

"I think I know where to start." He informed, purposefully ignoring the way Roy's steps faltered at the hope. He let his head turn towards his companion only slightly.

"Where?" The words flew from his lips and rubbed against his skin in a dry way that created butterflies in his stomach. He ran the tip of his tongue over his chapped lips. Maes glanced around warily, hunching over uncharacteristically.

"When you called, Edward stormed in with a seriously determined expression on his face. He told me what he needed, and it was an address." He paused when he noticed how Roy tensed up. "An address to Major General Reskae Dutson's place." Roy's teeth gnashed together, trying to suppress his rage. Edward was right, he should have known. He could see it in the way Dutson leered at everyone, perversely cunning and malicious. If there was anyone who would be doing such criminal things it would be Dutson. But Roy couldn't put him away unless he had solid evidence.

"I'll tell you the address, but just promise me you'll wait until tonight to go charging in. I'm coming with you," He held up his hand when Roy started to object. "I'm coming, and thats final, I don't want to risk loosing you to a false lead."

Roy nodded as the logic penetrated his senses. If there was anyone who could see a problem through to the very last straw without panicking or going berserk it was Maes, Roy's right hand man, his best friend. He could always trust Hughes. Roy awarded himself with a small smile. Even the smallest of clues could change everything. With this, Roy could find Edward and bring him back. Roy had a knack for already knowing what the opponent was going to do, what his next move was. That's why he could irritate Ed so badly. He knew what comments sparked Fullmetal's anger, and he knew which ones hurt the most. It was his reaction that he could not predict. Sometimes he would roll his eyes and ignore the insult and other times he would get violent and slam his fist on the desk. Other times he would yell and scream. But never had Roy been able to predict what he would do next.

Roy walked in after Maes into his office, looking at his subordinates out of the corner of his eyes. The men and women had grown quiet with the entrance of the Brigadier General. Every eye trained towards him, and he let a smirk slide onto place, knowing it would appear as if he were enjoying their attention. But he wasn't. He was looking at the only man in the room trying not to look at him. The one who had a huge black and blue bruise around his eye and cheek. It was greening around the edges. He stole nervous glances towards Roy's confident form, wiping sweat from his eyes and face with a dainty, handkerchief. Roy was suspicious of him. Not even walking into a pole would cause such a startling injury, but something more lethal, something with force and power. Like an iron fist.

Roy's nostrils flared with the realization and he forced his eyes to remain glaring, cocky and sensual. But how he wanted to glare. A snarl threatened to burst from Roy's lips when they finally got into the inner office. Roy let out a small hiss and began pacing the floors, glancing towards the door every few second, wanting nothing other than to drag that man into the office and demand an explaination. Maes raised an eyebrow and sat down at the chair behind the desk, sipping something from a light green coffee cup. Hughes cleared his voice and shifted through some papers on his desk.

"Roy? What's bugging you?" Roy let the anger and irritation drip from his words. "That man, with the bruise, how did that happen?"

Hughes shrugged and then chocked on his coffee as the realization sunk in. His eyes widened and he slammed his cup onto the table, swearing as coffee sloshed onto some paperwork and files. He leaned over the desk and thrust a small piece of paper into Roy's face. Roy snatched it from his hand and opened it with a small growl.

"523 Farris Street. A light blue house and a porch swing." He snapped his head up and crumbled up the paper, shaking his fist in Maes face.

"Is this where he went?" Maes nodded. "Are you sure?" Again Hughes nodded, only with slightly less force. Roy cursed and began pacing again.

"What aren't you telling me?" Hughes demanded, striding around his desk to grip Roy by his shoulders with a gentle, stubborn grip. His face was open and easy to read, and his eyes carried a worried glint in them, smothered only by the questions that lined his face with wrinkles. Roy sighed and ran his fingers through his black hair, wishing he had taken a shower.

"We've searched this place once before, when someone said there was a strange red light coming in from the windows, I'm surprised you don't remember anything." Maes nodded and rubbed the stubble on his jaw, something he only did when he was thinking deeply.

"I do remember," He retorted, backing up to give Roy some personal space. "But I never was good with remembering names, so it doesn't surprise me that I wouldn't remember the address."

Hughes and Roy poured over relating work, picking over file after file and wishing, hoping that something would pop out from the writing like a neon sign. The seconds ticked by, each regrettably so short, as if hours had turned into minutes and everything had turned itself upside down. Roy found himself lost in the evidence; the beauty of being engrossed is something so deeply. He felt like a tick, burrowed in so deep it was impossible to wiggle free. Occasionally, Roy would voice out his opinion on something, or suggest something to Maes and visa versa, but other than that they remained in a content silence, each trying frantically to find anything the would bring them closer to an answer. But as the hours raced, Roy knew nothing would be worth while; accept the little note with the address written onto it. That was a big clue to the mystery, the key to the door that would lead them towards Edward.

Soon, Maes pushed himself from his desk chair, stretched out like a catt, and went to see who was left fussing after the left over paperwork. The bruised man. Roy felt his body tense in his chair as he tossed aside the file he had been shifting through and murmured to Hughes with a wire of anger and fury underneath his cold tone, "Can you ask him to come in here please?"

Maes nodded his head and said something to the man on the other side of the door. He shuffled in nervously, stealing quick jumpy glances towards the door which Maes locked behind him before saluting respectively, fear clear in his piggy eyes. Hughes swept his arm towards Mustangs taunt form.

"Brigadier General Mustang, this is Second Lieutenant Chowder Pearish, he's new to the Investigation Department." Roy nodded as the information was absorbed. He laced his fingers together stiffly and rested his chin on them.

"Sit," He commanded, hoping his cold demeanor held no personal hostility. Chowder feel unsteadily onto a over stuffed chair in the corner, turned towards Hughes desk. "I only want to ask you some questions."

With a slight narrowing of his eyes he said frigidly, "Lets hope for your sake that you answer them right." Chowder swallowed obviously and pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket, wiping sweat from his forehead. He was shaking under Roy's hard scrutiny, and a small desperate noise escaped from his throat before he shut his mouth with a snap. Roy raised an eyebrow and straightened up in his chair, leaning forward to invade the man's space indifferently.

"Where did you get that bruise?"

The question itself was simple and straight forward, no complications twisted into it's simple words. But to Pearish, you could tell that it made him tense and twitch. Roy was good at reading people, and by the way he kept glancing away from Roy and then back, how he fiddled with his thumbs anxiously, Roy could tell that Chowder did what Roy was cryptically accusing him of doing. Chowder opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again before glancing towards the door. Abruptly he shot up, toppling the chair over and rushed towards the door, fumbling with the door as Roy pushed himself from his seat and rushed towards Pearish, grabbing him from the collar and slamming his against the wall so that his head banged against it. His lips were drawn over his teeth and he seethed slamming the man against the wall repeating it until he yelled out, "Don't kill me! I'll tell you anything! Please, just let me go!"

Roy let a furious smirk slid onto his lips and he threw him onto the ground, towering over the stout man with a shadow of sadistic grace.

"Talk."

Pearish whimpered pathetically on the ground before he stuttered out, "We lured him to the house and drugged him so he wouldn't make a fuss."

Roy pushed the heel of his boot against the back of Chowders hands, stepping down slowly. "Who's 'We'?" Chowder whimpered but remained quiet, probably under the fear that the man who hired him would punish him more severely. Roy was about to prove him wrong. He let the full weight of his body slam down his foot, growling maliciously.

"Reskae Dutson!" He yelled out in desperation, trying to move his hand out from underneath Roy's boot. "He hired me and threatened Laurie Gheta to do it! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't kill me!"

Roy growled and pulled back. He snapped his fingers together and produced a small white flame, flickering between his thumb and middle finger. Slowly he crouched down in front of Pearish holding the small flame an inch from his face. Sweat poured down his forehead, and his lower lip quivered as he glanced from Roy's deadly calm face towards the flame, already hot enough to burn.

"Where...is he?" He spit out thrusting the flame closer. Chowder flinched backward and said with genuine fear in his eyes, "Reskae has a mistress, pretty little thing; he meets her in a mansion just out of town, that's where he keeps all of his successful chimeras! I only know that the house number is 567, that's all I know!" Roy stiffened, and he barely heard Hughes swear and rush to the phone dialing something onto it. He was ordering something to Roy's command, telling them to get their weapons ready, to be prepared for the worst. He said to not inform Alphonse of the discovery, but Roy barely listened.

Rage, unbelievable, so pure and raw, full of unconscionable power that he was sure it was spilling out of him like waves. His eyes narrowed and red spots appeared on his vision. This man had taken a teenager to a killer, willingly. Roy was almost certain that if getting Ed weren't his first priority that the man, sprawled out on the floor below, shaking in fear, whimpering like a dog, would be dead. Roy could almost imagine his eyes rolling in the back of his head as he choked him, and then he would burn him slowly, watching the red burn marks spread over his body. Never had Roy wanted to hurt someone so badly. The genuine anger he felt was nearly uncontrollable, and he cursed as he smothered out the flame and whipped his hand back to slam his fist into Chowders chubby cheek, already bruised and mangled. Oh how he enjoyed it.

He got up and grabbed his jacket, which he had draped around his chair, and strode from the room.

"Where are you going, Roy?" Hughes demanded, blocking his path with his arm. Roy glared at Maes, not unkindly, but irritated.

"I have to go get him!"

Hughes was quiet for a moment, his eyes sparkling behind his glasses. He gave Roy a crooked smile and grabbed Roy by his forearm. "I'm coming with you." He insisted, opening the office door and walking out before Roy. Roy turned back to the man on the floor, cradling his left hand to his chest and muttering to himself crazily.

"If I ever see you again, then there will be horrible consequences. For you." And with that he turned around and slammed the door on the shivering pudgy man crying in the center of Mae's carpet. He strode after his friend, not bothering to return any salutes to the soldiers who looked at him with fear and respect. Luckily, he passed no one of higher rank, and made it to his office without killing someone in the process. As soon as he passed through the door he began sprouting orders, the all immediately jumped to his wishes, none of them bothering to salute, for they knew that in such a dire situation as this, it would only spark Roy's anger. He grabbed an extra pair of gloves from his drawer, tucked a pistol into the gun holster at his waist, and waved him subordinates forward.

With each step his hopes grew, with every second the doubts manifested. They were like parasites, feeding off of Roy's subconscious fear, they grew and grew and took up space on Roy's thoughts. His mind was rushing towards Edward, already a million miles away, seeing Edward tangled form on the floor, blood pouring from his body, or a new Ed, with the body of a beast and the intelligence of a half man. Roy was certain that whatever Roy found, it would not be good. His worst fear, the one that gnawed at him, was that he would find Ed in a dead, brainless state. Roy had seen victims of alchemical experiments whose eyes were dull and lifeless, but heart still beating and lungs still breathing. The alchemy had taken with it there motivation and thoughts, and that was the thing that frightened Roy the most. What if he found Edward half alive? What would he do? Edward was the type who would rather be caught dead then weak. If he were stuck, Roy knew the one thing the Ed would approve of, the one thing that would help him. Death.

But what about Alphonse? What about everyone else who loved Edward, and cared for him? What would they think of Roy for doing the very thing that Edward would have wished for? That was the thing though, Roy wasn't sure he could do it; almost certain he wouldn't be able to go through with it, especially Ed.

Roy had watched as Edward turned into a boy, all sharp lines and loud noises, to a man with a stubborn streak and a kindness that overpowered everything else. As a kid, Roy had watched with a fondness one might have for their son, but as Ed grew, stronger, more subtle, bright and high, Roy found himself leaning into his touch. His presence made Roy nervous, and left him feeling awestruck. He had seen the way people looked at him. Lust and yearning. Women and men alike. They seemed to crave Edward's company, throwing themselves at him with a want that had only one cure. Each time it had brought about a wave of furious jealousy, deep and painful, until he found himself glaring at the poor person who had sent their sensual gazes towards Ed. Each time, the said person would look away, ashamed.

Roy didn't know why he wanted something he knew would never be his, maybe he was a masochist, always wanting something that brought him pain, but Roy just couldn't help himself. Long ago he would have reasoned with himself that it was simple attraction, nothing more. Once upon a time he had found himself crushing after Hawkeye, but time had passed and the infatuation had gradually faded away like a layer of dust. But Edward, he had waited for it to just disappear, to vanish just as quickly as it came. But he was proven wrong. It grew and grew until being under Ed's golden gaze was like being under the sun, until he wanted to lean over his desk and grab the boy and understand the division between metal and flesh, between scar and muscle. He never let it show. He couldn't. No matter how weak he was for Edward.

Roy just couldn't let himself.

Roy shook himself from his thoughts as they quickly exited the building, Hawkeye and Hughes flanking him on each side as they walked from the parameter, nodding quickly towards the guards by the fence. They saluted, slapping their feet together respectively, but all that he saw was a tall dark golden haired boy in a black jacket, staring at them in confusion. Alphonse. Roy growled under his breath and tried to pretend he hadn't seen the boy. Slowly, Al walked over stopping directly in Roy's path.

"You found something." Alphonse accused blatantly, stuffing his hands in his pocket as the wind swept through his hair. Roy sighed and focused his gaze onto something more benign, the buildings, a tree.

"Yes, but I don't want you to come." He replied, moving around him to begin walking towards their cars again. Alphonse called towards Roy in desperation.

"I'll stay outside! I need to know! I need to come! I can go there if I want, you know, I'm not apart of the military, you can't order me." Roy swore under his breath and ran his hands through his hair, tugging through the tangles. Alphonse could do anything he wanted, but it wouldn't be wise. Roy could either bring him along, or he could leave him here so he could sneak in after them. Roy considered his other options. Finally, after a very awkward silence, Roy waved Alphonse over.

"Fine," He compromised, "Just stay outside of the house." Alphonse nodded eagerly and matched his pace with Roy's. Both of them were determined to bring Ed back, whether dead or alive. They wouldn't be happy until they were at rest with their inner conflict, until every question was answered. Hopefully, Roy's prayers would be answered, and Ed would be alive, and healthy. But the possibility was about as real as a shadow was touchable, no matter how hard you tried to catch it in your palm, you could never feel it. Roy let out a hoarse sigh as he crawled into the driver's seat of the military vehicle, noticing the way Hawkeye allowed Al to climb into the seat next to him. Maes, Hawkeye, Havoc and Al all buckled themselves in, and prepared for what was sure to come.

They would have to face it soon. Roy wasn't so sure he could deal with a funeral, not after seeing so many innocent people die and all of the sinners live. Roy wasn't sure he could handle the image of Edward's coffin descending down into a deep, black pit, six feet under his feet, dead, lifeless. So very cold, fire burned out, passion washed away with death. Roy couldn't even handle thinking about. So, resolved to bury his emotions deep, he swallowed down the lump in his throat and floored the car at top speed towards his destination. The farmlands.

Roy was sure that if someone of such high rank as Reskae were hiding such a devious thing, it would be just outside the city limits, not to close to where his wife would find out, but not too far away to cause suspicions. The thing is, where would he find the house, when for all he knew he was heading in the wrong direction? It was something Pearish had said. He had claimed that Reskaes mistress lived in a mansion, on the outskirts of Central; there were not very many places that would match such a description, there were no mansions on the countryside, except one place. The New Development construction site. Nobody was allowed on the property until each house was built, but with some careful bribing it would be easy to make the guards and watchers overlook that.

Roy accelerated in front of a car and began working his way further up the road, jammed with traffic. The tires screeched as he turned a sharp corner and floored it, looking in his mirror to make sure Falmen, Breda, and Fuery were right behind them. He sped way above the speed limit, cutting around the occasional slow going car, and swerving around corners. Roy cursed the car for being an older; slower model and pressed down the gas petal even more, gritting his teeth against the worry in his heart.

"Sir," Hawkeye said in her no nonsense tone. "You need to calm down; you're not thinking rationally, and frankly, your driving is going to kill us in no time."

Roy let a growl of frustration slip from his lips, but he forced his foot to ease off of the pedal reluctantly. He slowed to a casual speed and waited until Breda had maneuvered in beside him to pick up speed again, this time, with less recklessness and more icy calm that chilled the passengers of the car. They knew that feeling. It was the numbing feeling of fury, pure and cold enough to burn off flesh. Havoc shivered.

When they had passed through the city limits, Roy picked up speed again, glad for the open road with no cars to be seen for miles around. His fierce determination let him stay at the wheel for a full three hours, only pausing to stretch and go to the bathroom. When the sun began to set, Roy was sure that whoever lived in the new houses were crazy. There wasn't a grocery store miles around, and the rich folk who built it didn't seem like the type to garden. Roy neck muscles jumped from his skin and he twitched every time Hughes snore penetrated his senses. His foot was asleep from its position on the pedal, and his mind raced ahead to where Edward was, hoping for the best.

Then, when the barest tints of dawn were on the horizon, they pulled into the New Development neighborhood. It was ghostly quiet, the wind howled against the windows and Hughes was thrown from his sleep when they rolled over a large speed bump, wincing as the guards looked at him suspiciously. Roy waved his Alchemist watch next to them and rode through onto a newly paced road. This was it, he would find out what had become of Edward and he would be at peace, or he would be greif stricken. Roy parked the car on the side of the street, motioning Breda's car forward and got out of the car, jumping onto the sidewalk.

There was not a sound, but the quiet whisper of there fabric and their hearts thumping in their chest, announcing it's fears to all around. Roy swallowed painfully and began walking down the street, nearly at a sprint.

_534_

_541_

_553_

_567_

Roy skidded to a stop, glaring at the menacing structure in front of him. It was gaudy and conspicuous, the perfect place to hide chimeras. Roy turned around to face Al, who was already starting to move forward towards the front door.

"Alphonse," Roy ordered, trying to keep the bark from his tone. "You're staying out here, like you promised. Hawkeye, Havoc, Hughes, your coming with me." He pointed towards Breda, Falmen and Fuery. "You are going to stay outside and keep watch, you don't know if they've already found out about us, if you see anyone coming, just yell down to us." Roy pulled on his gloves and began walking towards the house.

"Let's go."

Everyone snapped to his orders and Hawkeye ran up ahead of Roy and positioned her gun at the door as she kicked it open. Everything inside seemed lavished with zebra print, and fur. An expensive chandelier hung from the ceiling in the living room, and a small door on the right indicated the basement. His best shot. Slowly, he crept forward, fingers posed to snap if there were any movements in front of him. He slunk towards to door and grabbed onto knob, pushing it open. Dark, cobblestone stairs ran themselves downward, and the distinct, repulsive smell of forbidden alchemy made him press his sleeve to his nose in attempt to stifle to vile smell.

The hairs on the back of his neck rose, and it wasn't long before he felt his comrades behind him. Despite them not being alchemists, it was clear that they could feel the same thing. Hawkeye's nose was crinkled and her eye twitched. Maes had his collar turned up and he gagged reflectively. Havoc was cringing into his clothes, the gun in his hand shaking in effort not to start vomiting. Roy began to descend. Moss grew of the damp walls and the stairs were slick and slippery beneath his boots. More than once he caught himself falling backwards, and he heard Havoc's smothered curse as he fell rearward onto his bottom.

The stairs led down farther, and the stench grew thicker, clogging every sense that Roy was able to use. His eyes watered and he blinked away the blurry vision that came with it, pressing his sleeve tighter against his nose.

Then they reached the bottom. The room was dank and cold, filled with sounds of pain. Cages upon cages lined the walls and the animals hybrids pushed their arms through the bars and struggled to snag onto their clothing. A lonely, sad looking creature with a scrunched up face and big, bug eyes, pushed itself against the cage and began to cry, human tears rolling down its furry cheeks. They were all moaning and groaning in pain and agony, fury, pure in their eyes. The chimeras were pleading with them to end it, to finish the job. It was then that Roy realized the ones that had died during the transmutations, were the ones that were lucky.

Roy took his torch from his belt and clicked on the light, motioning them forward.

"Everyone aim your flashlights towards the cages and look for Fullmetal, if he's not here, then were back to nothing." Everyone nodded eagerly, trudging off different sections to find the missing boy.

Roy went forward. His steps echoed in the room, and some of the animals grew quiet. They stared intently at him, eyes glinting in the moonlight, lips beginning to pull over their teeth. A small creature, sitting on its behind, scooted towards Roy, and he bent down, shining the light into the cage. It flinched away into the shadows and scratched at the bottom of the pen. It had bright green eyes, and long ears on the side of its face. It was mostly hairless, save for the patches of fur on the top of his head and around its neck and torso. Its nose was elongated, not quite humanoid. Two long teeth poked from its mouth, and its nose twitched every so often. A rabbit. Roy sighed and pushed himself up from his crouched position, turning around to continue on.

"Chief! Get over here, I found him!" Havocs panicked voice echoed to him and he took off into a sprint towards the sound, nearly colliding with Hawkeye, who was running as well. Roy slowed in front of the cage.

He was so afraid. What had become of Edward? Had his face been distorted just as the rabbits had? Did his eyes show a blank lifelessness? Would he be able to think, to live, to breathe? He hunched down in front of the hutch, moving his flashlight upward into the cage slowly, nervously. He had never been so afraid in his life. Never had he felt such blatant, raw emotions, and no one could stoke them but Edward, the one he had finally found.

Golden yellow eyes glowed luminously in the gloomy dungeon beneath the grand house above, and a pair of long white whiskers, barely noticeable in the pale light of the basement, twitched towards him in an irritated fashion. Edward's hair was a tangle around his head, a halo of gold. A pair of black spotted ears flattened against the top of his head, and his lips pulled up over his teeth to show a pair of long canines. A low guttural noise erupted from within his throat, threatening, promising violence and pain. His pupils contracted into small opal slits against the light of the torch, and he flinched into the cage. A long, golden tail with black spots adorning its fur slunk into sight, jerked back and forward, clearly annoyed. Edward hissed hostilely, pressing back farther into his cage bars and moved onto his hunches. They were covered in golden fur, curved into a half cat half human way. Claws curled out of his toes and before he could anger the boy even more he moved the light down onto the ground by his feet.

Slowly, the hissing stopped, and with a curious lifting of his brow, Ed slunk forward, grabbing onto the bars with shortened fingers.

"_Must_..._ang_?" Edward's voice sounded as if a younger Edward and an older Edward were harmonizing, voices concurrent. Underneath it was the barest hint of animal roughness, a mournful cry. He leaned back onto the balls of his feet and pointed towards the lock on the cage, shaking the cage door with tiny hands.

"_Open_." Ed ordered stubbornly, shaking the bars again. Roy leaned forward, lit a small flame in his palm and began to melt the latch. Panic ignited behind him.

"What are you doing, Roy, we don't even know if Ed's still in there, what if he attacks?" Maes voiced.

"Sir, Hughes is right, we can't let our guard down just because you think that Edward is in there he-" A low hiss came from the cage.

"_Ed no hurt Roy. I am Roy's friend. Hawkeye thinks Ed bad_?" The last was added with such painful honesty that had Hawkeye taken aback. She stumbled over her words and her brown eyes were widened with surprise at the painful tone of his voice. Lonely and lost like a lone wolf.

Roy tore off the lock and pulled back the cage door, only to fall backwards as the creature encaged leapt forward and knocked Roy onto his back.

Fear. So clear and pure in his blood that he didn't have to think about it to know that he was afraid. Edward, innocent and pure sat on his chest, pushing Roy down onto the cold stone ground. His eyes were narrowed and his mouth was curved upward into a sadistic smile, showing the long sharp canines. And all he could think of in that moment was, 'why'?

Why Edward?


	4. Stay With Me

**Authors Note: **Thank you everyone who reviewed and/or added my story in your favorites or alerts. Your reviews have always motivated me, so it's thanks to you that I am continuing this story! So sorry this chapter was late, I caught a nasty bug and wasn't even feeling up to moving, let alone writing!

**Warning: Edward is slightly out of character, more open and trusting than he usually is so keep that in mind.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, but I do own the plot**

Hawkeye had her gun trained on Edward before he could even move off Roy's chest. Jean and Maes soon followed, though all of them were reluctant to shoot someone that they had seen grow up and face challenges like they were stronger than anything that ever stood in their path. Edward merely glanced at the gun with a mix of distaste and scolding and turned back to Roy, placing both of his paw-like hands on each side of Roy's face.

"_Edward prove Roy wrong! He found truth! I am right!_" Edward rejoiced leaning backwards to clap his paw hands together happily. Roy felt the guilt well up in his chest and he struggled not to let his emotions show through the mask. Ed, glancing down at Roy like he was stupid, looked toward his comrades with a cute melancholic expression.

"_Roy's proud of my achievements, yes? Did he tell friends to hurt Ed?_" His harmonizing voice was filled with childlike hurt and he fiddled with his shortened fingers anxiously, awaiting both Roy's and Riza's answer. The seconds ticked by and slowly, Edward's cat ears flattened to the top of his head in disgrace and nervousness.

"_I was bad, didn't do what Mustang said. Ed didn't mean to though, he tried to stop the evil man._" Roy perked up to the new information and sat up on his elbows eagerly, hoping to catch the meaning behind Edward's words.

"Who? Who did this to you, Edward?" Roy pressed urgently, letting his mask fall with the new information. He wasn't about to worry to much about facial expressions in a situation like this, especially since even Hawkeye was leaning closer, eyes widened with a futile hope that they would lead him right to the man who committed the terrible act of twisting Edward into a half human half man creature. Roy shivered inwardly when he thought back to the bunny creature, human characteristics barely recognizable human intelligence stifled beneath an animal doltishness. Roy was at least grateful that Edward didn't turn out like that. A horrible, pitiful creature with the face of stupidity.

Edward immediately cheered up at the attention that Roy had given Ed and he grinned innocently, flicking his ears back up happily.

"_I don't remember name. But he said that I would be given away._" Edward shrugged nonchalantly, as if it were the most normal thing to do.

"Given away to whom?" Riza inquired softly. She was looking at Ed with maternal affection, and it was clear that this new, trusting Edward with a childlike innocence and a happy, true smile had already imprinted on her. Edward gave her a genuine smile that seemed to melt the hard, cold demeanor she had and replied cheerfully, "_Name is Saku something, told Ed that he would be kind to Edward, that there was no need to worry._" His ears flicked backward slightly.

"_He left today to fetch him. Told Ed he'd be back tomorrow._" Next to Hawkeye, Maes stiffened and straightened up quickly. He cursed and kicked at the floor, turning around and running his fingers through his hair.

"Hughes? What is it?" Roy asked, sitting all the way up so that Edward was in his lap. Had it been different circumstances Roy might have been embarrassed and pleased by the close contact with Ed, but at the moment Roy paid it no heed.

"When Edward came to me asking for the address I called someone and asked him to look into it for me." He paused and turned around, guilt plain and clear in his features.

"I called Saku Kakani, General of the Investigations Department. I- I trusted him so blindly that I told him what I was looking for, he has great influence over the military and so I was hoping," He stopped as he choked up, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "I was hoping he would be able to find what we were looking for. I just wanted to stop all of the pointless killings!"

He kicked Edward's empty cage and started pacing mumbling under his breath. Edward's small fingers twisted in Roy's uniform jacket, demanding his attention. Roy looked down. Edward's stature had diminished in size considerable, due to the transmutation, and his body seemed to have lost weight too. He was shirtless, wearing nothing but a plain pair of light blue boxers. Fur had grown on various places on his body, from his fingertips to his shoulder blade where it thinned out considerably. His legs were identical, fur traveling up his legs where it disappeared into the legs of his shorts. Roy could see the fur that puffed out from his boxers and there was a single line of fur the traveled from the waistline of his underpants, to the top of his navel.

Realization struck him cold. Edward had all four limbs. They seemed so real, as if they had always been there, moving, muscles jumping out as he swung his arm around. Roy stared in fascination and grabbed the arm gently, bringing it closer for observation. Edward jumped, but soon relaxed to Roy's soft touch, simply looking at him with curiosity. It was real definitely real, and it was soft with fur under his sensitive fingers. Roy rubbed his fingers to the area where his port had been and flinched back. Hard like steel. A small screw from his automail, the metal casing of his arm. The port was still there, beneath flesh and tendons and muscles. It couldn't be seen with just your eye. Whoever had turned Edward into this was defiantly planning to do so already, what with the regenerative growth of Edward's limbs.

Roy, filled with sorrow and blatant disgust, hoisted himself up from the ground, gently setting down the small Edward Elric. Ed blinked once then tumbled backward, legs trembling with his body weight. Roy swiftly grabbed for the boy, holding onto him from his underarm. His head had lulled backward, and his eyes fluttered shut, body going lax. For a second, Roy panicked. What if he's dead? It was only when he heard the gentle snoring that he breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly, so as not to wake the exhausted chimera, he lifted the boy into his arms. Edward's face subconsciously nuzzled to his neck and his fingers gripped his jacket with a stubborn strength.

It was clear to Roy that Edward had not slept since god knows when, for there were dark half moon purple rings under his eyes. He had not eaten either, as far as Roy could see, his ribs were showing slightly and he seemed weak because of this. Roy winced inwardly. He could remember what Edward had looked like before, exotic, yet normal in his humanoid body. He was stubborn and completely out of Roy's control. The old Edward would have never allowed anyone to carry him like this, unconscious or not. And now, trusting, all barriers gone and all troubles flown away, Edward was truly happy. You could see it in the light the shone in his eyes.

Gradually, his standing caused his friends to look towards him. He began to walk toward the exit. He had no clue what he was going to do with any of these half human creatures, but he didn't want to think about that at the moment, right now, he wanted Edward safe and healthy. Near the top of the stairs he felt Edward stir. It was subtle; the simple tightening of his muscles, but Roy didn't call Ed out on it. He walked out into the night, surprised to find the night biting cold. Shivers ran over Ed's body, and he shrugged from his jacket, one arm around Ed, before he draped it around his shoulders.

"Brother!" Alphonse cried, running up. His hands fluttered over Edward's body helplessly, and he looked nearly on the verge of tears. He looked up at Roy, panic shining in his eyes.

"Will he be all right? Is he going to live? What happened to him?" Edward's head lifted from Roy's neck and he turned his face towards Alphonse, a dreary, sleepy expression on his trusting face. He reached out his left hand and patted Alphonse gently on the top of his golden brown head.

"_Edward alright, Al. No worry now, 'kay?_" Alphonse eyes welled up with tears and he quickly wiped them from his eyes, shoulders hunched as desperate sobs escaped him. He had nearly lost his brother, many times, and Roy knew that if Alphonse lost him once more that he would break down and never get over it.

Edward just continued to stroke Alphonse hair, staring down at him fondly, ears pulled forward attentively. His tail curled around Roy's waist and flicked against it affectionately. His pupils were large, nearly covering up the gold iris, which were glowing like cat eyes in the dark. Though his mind might have been active, his body was not. It was slumping forward, and his eyes would close and then shoot back up when he realized he was falling into his subconscious. Eventually, Ed's hand fell from his younger brother's hair and his head flopped to his chest. A soft snore emitted from him.

Roy sighed and shifted him to where he was cradled in Roy's arms, warm and alive with small differences. Big differences. He wasn't sure if Al had noticed the new limbs, but he would eventually, and at the moment, Roy didn't think that Al could care less if Ed had a third eye or flippers. He was alive, to Alphonse, and to Roy, that was all that mattered. His hair fluffed around him in small strands, falling into his closed eyes.

Breda, Falman and Fuery walked up behind Alphonse, each of them wearing matching, sorrowful expressions. Fuery put his hand to his mouth and turned away, not wishing to be reminded of the dramatic change, while Breda shook his head mournfully, rubbing his forehead. Falman tensed up and then walked away abruptly. Roy knew how they felt, as if crying couldn't even put it into words no matter how many tears you shed. No one knew how badly Roy wanted to break down and sob, to let years and years of sorrows out if only for one small human, one insignificant person in the cycle of life. But to Roy, Ed was as significant as the air he breathed. Edward had saved countless lives, without him thousands would have died, hundreds would have broken, Roy included.

Roy turned from his comrades. "Everyone get into your cars," he commanded, beginning to walk towards his automobile.

"I'll deal with the rest of the chimeras later. Maes, could you spare a few men to guard this place?" Maes nodded and fell into pace beside him. Gently, Roy crawled into the backseat, knowing Alphonse would like to sit next to his brother. It didn't seem as if Ed was letting go of Roy anytime soon, with his fingers clutching his dress shirt possessively and his head buried in his neck. Roy gazed down at the boy in his arms.

His mouth was open slightly, and a soft whistling sound followed when he breathed in and out. His eyebrows furrowed once then relaxed, and content, peaceful look adorning his face. There were two patches of fur under his cheek where the whiskers had sprouted. They were light and only noticeable in the dark if you squinted at them. Underneath him, the car revved to life, and he only glanced up to see Hawkeye putting the car into reverse.

Roy was surprised that the person who had transmuted all of the people into chimeras had not set up traps for Mustang and his friends. If the lab was so easy to find, then they could at least try to make an effort to keep people from intruding. It was insulting, just how cocky this person was, to doubt that anyone would find what was so obviously in sight. Though, as difficult as if was to admit it, Roy was thankful that the fiend was so careless.

Next to him, Alphonse reached out and stroked one of Edward cat ears, amazement flickering onto his face just as he touched it. Ed's cheek twitched in response and his whiskers tickled Roy's chin, making him flinch backwards slightly.

"It's amazing," Alphonse remarked, reaching down to caress Edward's exposed arm fur, ruffling it backwards to where it was standing on end, and smoothing it down. "The transmutation is almost perfect, there are nearly no flaws on the skin showing that Ed had never been anything _but _a chimera."

He looked up at Roy, despair deep set into his eyes. Roy's stomach twisted painfully at that look, but he forced himself to look back, with a strength and determination he knew he didn't have. Alphonse rubbed at Ed's nape and flopped back into his seat.

"I'm not sure we'll be able to turn him back." Alphonse announced, and the car jerked to a halt before it continued steadily. Clearly Hawkeye had heard the horrible, painful news that none of them wanted to face, and so had Maes and Jean by the tenseness of their bodies. Something inside of his let out a wheezing breath, then died, and with it, Roy was sure his confidence would soon follow. Mustang felt his stomach drop to his feet and his heart jump up to his throat, and as he swallowed it back down with denial he realized just how right Alphonse was. A perfect transmutation was almost impossible to reverse; there are no cracks and no breaks in the circle to use to their advantages. The sick, perverse human whom had turn Ed into something that wasn't quite human, had completely perfected the transmuting of humans and animals.

Roy ground his teeth together loudly, sending an unnerving feeling through the whole car. There was no way Roy was just about to give up on the man he had seen growing up and become something he would never live up to himself. Roy was not going to give up, not when they just got the boy back and could most likely find the murderer.

Roy laid his head back against the head rest of the seat and thought deeply about the situation. What would Edward do in his shoes? If someone he held close had been turned into something unspeakable? The answer was so blatantly obvious, that Roy found himself slapping himself mentally. Edward would continue on with searching for the circle which would reverse that special someone's problem. He would search and search until his fingers bled and his eyes rotted out of his scull, but he wouldn't give up until he found the answer. The other option was simply a foreign language to Edward's ears; he would never give up until he knew the key to the puzzle. If Alphonse were in Ed's body, Edward would stop at nothing; he would give himself to get Alphonse back.

Roy closed his eyes and pulled Ed closer slowly, trying not to be conspicuous. Edward mumbled something into Roy's neck, moving away hair and brushing against his skin in the most intimate way. He swallowed and brushed his hand against Edward's back slowly, the barest hint of a touch. His fingertips fluttered over Ed's spine, feeling the fur that had sprung up there. Edward's leg kicked out subconsciously, and his eyes moved beneath their lids. He mumbled something incoherent and stretched himself out in Roy's arms, kicking his brother awake and knocking Mae's glasses awry with his hand. He then curled up in Roy's lap, eye's fluttering open and then closed, hands gripping the jacket around his shoulders as he buried his face into Roy's chest.

Roy's face heated up almost instantly, and he looked down at the chimera in his arms to hide the fact from his two companions. If they noticed the frank, redness of his face they ignored it, which he was thankful for. Until, of course, Hughes spoke up, with the most obvious approval in his happy face.

"Why, Roy, what happened to your face, you're as red as a tomato!" Called out by this question, Roy's cheeks flamed redder and he turned his head towards the annoying man beside him he considered a nuisance.

"Shut up!" He hissed, turning back to stare straight out the front window. Next to him, both Al and Maes chuckled wisely, which pissed Roy off to no end. Not knowing what people were thinking clearly irked Roy into a bad mood, so the two giggling about things he didn't quite get made him want to bang their heads together with a satisfying crunch. Roy frowned and relaxed his body slowly.

Roy wasn't sure how long it was, but abruptly he was thrown from a sleep he hadn't realized he had fallen into. Small, dainty hands were shaking him by his collar, and he opened his eyes drearily shooting forward to jump up. His head banged against another, and he heard a sharp yelp and found himself staring into the golden eyes of Edward Elric, holding his head in his hands, a gentle wince on his lips. As if just noticing the wakefulness of Roy he broke into a huge smile and wrapped his arms around Roy's neck, nub fingers snarled in his midnight black hair. Edward peered at Roy's forehead and began to rub the red spot which had formed when he had bonked heads with the chimera. He laughed at Roy's bewildered look and grabbed Roy's collar yet again, pulling Roy close, smile vanishing into a serious face. Scared he had upset the child he reached up his hand to grasp Ed's waist.

Edward's mouth widened into a grin and he pulled back and climbed from Roy's lap onto Alphonse's, oblivious of the grunt that Al gave him. He pressed his palms against the glass and bounced up and down on Alphonse's knees, watching the houses sped by.

"_Edward remember town, he remember missions._" He glanced back at Roy, an innocent smile adorning his lips. "_Does Roy remember missions? Ed sent on them 'cus of Roy. Sometimes I get hurt_." He huffed in a breath and gave the most adorable outraged look Roy would ever think was possible.

"_One time, Ed goes up to man with big, tall hat and grabs him; the man didn't like that so he punched me and ran! Edward chase him though, so there was no worries._" He smiled brightly at Roy, seeming to expect praise. Beside his Hughes chuckled.

"He's been telling us stories the whole time you've been asleep." His smile faltered. "Some of them, you won't like." He leaned back against his seat and looked out the window at the night town flying by, his smile was nostalgic and sorrowful, and Roy found himself feeling sad as well.

"It's amazing what that boy never told us, he's got plenty a secrets, I'll tell you." Maes said, pushing his glasses up his nose. Hughes turned back to Edward, seeming to be attracted to the strange way Edward talked now that he was a chimera.

"_Ed told big man to help him to find Brother, but Al was hiding in bushes near the stream. Edward had his mom back then, he came back home dirty and mama scolded me for it._" He laughed a musical, light voice that filled Roy with warmth and caring. "_Turns out Alphonse had gotten chased by a dog, and was hiding from it on the other side of the river. Made fun of Al for that._" He gave a quick, longing sigh and tapped his clawed finger against the window at a couple, dancing and twirling down the street. His head cocked to the side and his ears fell flat against his head slowly. Ed turned from the window and crawled from Alphonse lap into Roy's, not caring when his knee jabbed into Roy's stomach, making him grunt and laugh hoarsely.

"_Hawkeye been in love once, yes? Long time ago. Tell Edward the story?_" Roy raised his eyebrow and leaned forward passed Ed to look at the side of Riza's face with a curious, open look.

"Yes, Hawkeye," He wondered, letting a teasing smirk fall onto his lips. "Tell us a story." Riza's cheeks turned a deep crimson, and she swept her bangs back away from her eyes nervously, fiddling with the one ring she wore on the pinky of her right hand. She chortled anxiously and looked out the driver's window once before returning her gaze back onto the road before her.

"Well," She started, a small smile lighting her face. "I was sixteen, and I was stupid. I met this man that had an angel's face and a good sense of humor and I thought I was in love." She paused to breathe in once and then she continued on slower than before, as if choosing her words carefully. Edward was leaning backward, legs wrapped around Roy's waist affectionately, hands placed subconsciously on Mustangs chest. His face was alight with credulous curiosity, and he nodded at her pauses to assure her that he was listening intently. Roy was rather uncomfortable, with Ed plopped down on his lap as trusting as a kitten with an innocence that even Alphonse didn't seem to have. He had no idea how intimate and personal his touch was on Roy, and he simply paid no heed to the fact that normal people did not sit this close to someone casually, only lovers or friends who'd known each other since birth.

Roy pulled himself from his trance and focused on Hawkeye's story, realizing that it was probably the first time he had seen her that open. It seemed as if the new Edward, with a tail the curled around to whack at Roy's side and a happy face that was always there, made everyone put their guards down, because despite the Leopard features, predatory and carnivorous, he was as cute and harmless as they came, like a kitten instead of a ferocious feline with teeth longer than Roy's index finger.

"We were in history when he asked me to go out, and I said yes, because I was sure he was a complete gentleman by the way he pulled out my chair for me to sit and the way he opened a door before I walked in." She continued, laughing quietly at the memory.

"Then on Saturday, our date, he came to my house and picked me up, and left towards the restaurant he had picked out to surprise me." Her chuckling had turned into full out laughter, and tears welled up in the corner of her eyes from laughing so hard. Soon Edward had joined in, wiping the tears onto his furry hand before they fell. Riza struggled to continue talking over the laughter.

"He took me to a horrible place, with greasy food and smoke in the air and even ordered for me too, a plate full of bacon! My, god, he was a complete fool!" She sighed fondly.

"At the end of the night he had gotten down on his knee and pulled out a cheap plastic ring and asked me to marry him. After one day! I had never seen anything as outrageous as that." She got an evil glint in her eye and mentioned, subtly, more as an after thought, "Well, except for the one time where I found Roy, Hughes and Havoc in there underclothes, locked in the janitors closet. _That_ was more outrageous."

She stared pointedly at him in the rearview mirror, smirking at the blush that slammed onto his cheeks before he could do anything about it.

"Ugh, don't mention it. I don't even want to remember that." Roy grumbled, attempting to bury his head into hands, but he only ended up getting tangled with Edward, who still occupied his lap. Edward turned to look at him in amazement, and he gave Roy the most endearing disappointed expression, that he was taken aback with guilt.

"_Ahhh, Roy, Edward wants to hear the story_." Ed complained, intertwining his arms around Roy's neck. The cars occupants began to giggle at the sight, and in the passenger seat, Havoc whistled quietly, though Hawkeye hit him on the arm. Roy glared at them hostility. Ed ran his stubbed fingers through Roy's hair, slowly, a deep, sensual expression flitting across his face so only Roy could see it. He swallowed.

"Okay," He finally muttered, looking away to keep from it getting any more intense. "I'll tell you the story." He leaned forward with a smirk on his face, nearly laughing when he saw the blush that lined Edward's nose. He grabbed Ed by the waist, pulled him closer and said in an eerie voice, "We had just been accepted into the military, and we had heard of a rumor that a ghost haunted the third floor, and that any who stayed there over three o' clock in the morning, would be visited by it." Roy took a deep voice and narrowed his eyes in a spooky, serious way, though he was hiding the grin and the laugh just beneath.

"So, us and some friends decided that we were going to stay and meet the 'ghost' and we sneaked in and stayed locked up in an office on the third floor, and when it was three o' clock, we heard voices." He rubbed his hand over his eyes wearily.

"Someone jumped up behind us and blindfolded us, stripped us of our clothes, and locked us in the closet. Luckily, the next day, after shouting ourselves hoarse, instead of a superior officer finding us, or the janitor, Hawkeye had just so happened to come in early, and was searching for a broom, and she found us."

He leaned back and gave Ed a crooked smile.

"It was the older soldiers, who told us the rumor, who had blindfolded us." He gave a gruff chuckle.

"And you know what?" He asked, "The next year, when the new recruits came, we played the same trick on them. Even Hawkeye joined us." He gave Ed a wistful look and watched Riza's reflection playing in the window.

"Of course, back then Hawkeye was less strict than she is now, and she actually laughed and _smiled_, if you can believe that."

Hawkeye sneered at Roy through the mirror and retorted with the barest hint of amusement, "As did you, sir. That was years ago, though."

Roy gave a curt laugh and replied back, "Thousands of years, if I can recall."

Hawkeye smiled.

"Indeed."

Edward, mouth slightly open in awe, eyes wide and childlike, gave Roy a huge smile and then burst into applaud. He laughed a light chiming laugh that gave Roy a burst of happiness at pleasing him. Edward's eyes closed for a second and he leaned his forehead against Roy's in a way that made his heart jump out of embarrassment and happiness.

"_Roy has funny stories. Ed always likes to here them. Mustang should be open more often._" He commented, tilting his head before leaning back to crawl over onto Maes laps. Maes, confused a bit startled by the casual close contact, found his glasses gone and his hair ruffled as Edward put on the glasses and ran his hands through Hughes hair. The claws on the tips of his fingers extended and he twirled a lock around his finger and yanked on it hard, giggling when Maes cursed quietly. His eyes were bug-like behind the lenses of the glasses and he reached out a wary hand, grasping at air in front of Roy's face. Then, with sudden speed, he leaned forward out of Hughes lap and grabbed a fistful of Roy's hair. Roy gritted his teeth together and pulled the glasses from Edward's face, handing them back to their appropriate owner, who was fumbling around for them.

Edward's fingers laced through Roy's hair and he crawled from the thin, empty space between Hughes and Mustang and plopped himself back down onto Roy's lap.

"_Where is Hawkeye taking us?_" He pondered out loud, twining his fingers together. Edward's waist turned as he looked around, and his face became a mixture of confusion and sadness.

"_Ed need string. Anyone have string?_" Alphonse sighed beside Roy and fished around in his pocket, pulling out a long piece of blue string as long as two of Roy's arms. Edward's face instantly lit up and he took the string from Al's open palm and began to twist it between his fingers. As he twined and twisted it he began to hum, a pretty little tune that was soft and musical, with a sad undertone. He pulled his fingers apart and then grinned brilliantly pulling his hands up to show Roy what he had made between his fingers with one piece of string.

I was an intricate web of knots and loops, repeating to form a pattern around the outside of the square and an original design placed skillfully in the middle. It was shaped like a curled up snake, with its two heads pulling away from each other at the top. Roy stared at the creation in amazement, opening his mouth to say something when the car eased to a stop. Roy shut his mouth and hoped he didn't look too disappointed.

"_We're here!_" Edward rejoiced, throwing himself from Roy's lap to race towards the door on Alphonse side. He struggled with the latch but after a moment he was flying out of the door with his energy reborn. He stumbled forward on the sidewalk then fly down the street, arms pumping, feet blurred as they pushed him forward with inhuman speed. Roy, panicking, pushed Alphonse out of the car and yelled after him loudly.

"EDWARD!"

Hawkeye flew from the driver's seat and said to Roy with hushed urgency, "If anyone were to see Ed they would question us and who we are, we have to catch him before he reaches the more public area." Roy nodded and began to run after him, forgetting everything except getting Edward back to safety. Adrenaline pumped through his system and he turned the street, expecting to see the worst, only to trip over a very small form.

Roy prayed he did not crush him when he was sent tumbling down onto the pavement, the chimera beneath him. Going on instinct, he threw his arms around Ed's waist and focused on projecting his weight onto his hands and not onto the person in his arms. Roy's arms hit the pavement hard, but he was already pushing himself up, to keep himself from squishing Edward. Beneath him, the said chimera was laughing, a light cheerful laugh that made Roy want to murder the boy himself, as well. Instead he began to laugh as well, hysterical giggles that turned into one loud howl. He pulled his arms from underneath Edwards shoulder blades and leaned himself against the brick wall behind him, pressing his face into his glove to stifle the snickers.

Edward pushed himself from the ground and dragged himself next to Roy, laughter continuing on. Hawkeye burst from the corner, gun drawn, lowered so as to not cause attention to her. She took one look at them both, giggling like little boys, and glared hard down at them, venom sinking into her gaze.

"You scared me half to death, sir, I seriously thought you were dying, your laughter sure makes you sound like it."

Roy was too far into the euphoria of laughter to notice the comment on his laugh; instead he leaned forward, and gasped like a fish out of water for the air he had been deprived of for the last minute or so. Never had Roy laughed so hard. Not since he was a kid. It had always been hard lines and serious, cocky masks for him, but now, with a new trusting Edward laughing next to him like a child, he found that he could breathe without being suffocated by his past, he could laugh without grimacing at the belief that he did not deserve such happiness, and that he could live without fear of dying. All demeanor's fell and all pretenses were thrown away.

One though shattered his happiness. _What will you do when he is gone_? What would he do? Would he go back to gulping down shots of amber whiskey, to wallowing in his guilt and shadows so deeply set that he had to drag himself from his bed every morning. Would he crash and burn after such an exhilarating high? Roy didn't want to feel alone again, not after tasting the fruit of companionship, not after being showed the first rays of sun that filtered in through the blinds of his past and pathetic regrets. But not Maes company, nor Havoc's nor Hawkeye's could satisfy him. Only Ed. It made him wonder why only now he was realizing that what he felt for Edward was more than just want and lust. It was far greater than that, something that hinted about _forever_.

_What will you do when he's gone, Roy_?_ Will you fall back to the alcohol, and hide behind your lies and your arrogance_?_ Will you pretend you don't want Edward, pretend you don't want to wake up to see his golden halo of hair fanned out around your pillow? Tell me you don't want that Roy. Tell yourself there is nothing more that paternal feelings for him, tell yourself yet another lie, Roy._

Each question was so easy to answer, so easy to answer that he could reach out and crush them between his thumb and forefinger with so little effort. Desperately, he scorned through his head for an excuse that would allow Edward to be with him, but none of them matched the circumstances. The futile hope he had conjured up popped and deflated, blowing out cold, worthless air that spit its victory into his face without so much as a shred of dignity. Slowly, his laughter thinned out and a sad, lonely frown found its way to his lips. It were as if Edward were already gone, and he was alone yet again, caught inside himself.

Beside him, as if picking up on Roy's sudden gloomy mood, he stopped his mirthful giggles and sobered into a small smile. Hawkeye shifted from foot to foot nervously before sighing and turning away to disappear around the corner. Silence followed her, and with it Edward's goofiness. He gave Roy a serious look and then shifted onto the balls of his feet, apparently finding that position more comfortable that sitting on his bum.

"_I try to use words I use to know,_" He informed quietly, glancing over at Roy's surprise tense face. "_Ed try real hard, but the meanings and the words mix and jumble themselves up. It's messy. Hard to sort through. All Edward want to do is sleep._" He gave Roy a panicked look when he began to stand up, about to reach down to pull Edward up with him.

"_Where's Roy going? Don't leave!_" The last was a cry of desperation, and he stumbled up to clutch at Roy's sleeve in alarm and fright, big golden yellow eyes glowing in the darkness of the night. Silently, he bowed his head, fingers twisting in Roy's shirt. He was leaving it up to Roy.

"_I don't want to be left alone._"

Those words sent pools of heat through his body, and his skin hummed with pleasure at the thought of Ed wanting him close. It wasn't every day that Edward would simply give up his tough, stubborn attitude to admit he wanted something, and for some reason, it both pained him and pleased him to finally hear Edward say it.

With guilty pleasure, Roy gave a huge grin and said as casually as he could, "That's okay, Edward. I'll be here."

Finally, a feasible excuse to keep Edward close.

**A/n-** _I have to say, I had a hard time finishing this chapter, maybe it was the fact that I had been sick for a while, or the fact that I just have a thing for action/romance packed books and movies, so I'm sorry if you thought this one wasn't as great as the other three chapters. I had an amazing time writing about Edward in his new trusting form, though! It's fun to see an innocent side to Ed, especially when he has cat ears like a neko. Thanks for reading! Please review if you can, because the more you review, the faster the chapter gets finished! _


	5. Pulled Apart

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you make my day, turn my darkness to light and all of that other mushy stuff that you need not know! It would have been nice if everyone who had alerted my story or favorites it reviewed...I would have had twice as many, but, you can't have everything! Sorry I was late, inspiration comes with time and I right?

**Warning: Language, carefree Edward, and gore**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, but I do own the plot**

The only thing preventing Roy from kicking everyone (with the exception of Edward and Al) out of his house was the matter that involved Edward and his current state. Nothing else would have stopped him from kicking their loud, obnoxious asses out onto his porch and slamming the door behind them without even a shred of remorse.

After the shock at Edward appearance had worn off, and the adrenaline had drained from their blood and body, Maes had turned back into his normal self, chatting away about nothing in particular (meaning his daughter), Hawkeye was scolding him for letting his place get dirty, Fuery was animatedly talking to Breda and Falman about the newest radio that could be hooked up to a car, and Havoc was smoking, filling the clean air of his house with plumes of smoke. Nothing could surprise Roy after what he had been through, not even the fact that Edward was running around his coffee table, blabbering away about the old, dusty books on the shelves and the artifacts hung on the wall, made him twitch. He gave Ed a look, sighed and turned into his kitchen to get everyone some tea.

And now, with the tea set in front of everyone, people settling down into their seats, Roy was finally feeling the affect of two sleepless nights. He was filled with a hollow longing to leave everyone in his living room and escape to his room to curl up under his blankets and block out the nightmares that haunted him. He couldn't do that, not yet, it would have to wait. Instead, he pushed his fatigue into the back of his mind, and cleared his throat, hoping to get everyone's attention. Around him, eyes swiveled to stare at him attentively; waiting for orders, words of failure or words of hope, Roy chose the truth.

"I'm not sure if we can turn him back."

Roy may not have been descriptive with his words, but they all knew who he was talking about, and one by one everyone turned to stare at the teenager, wearing an animal's skin, a huge volume plopped onto his lap, eyes scanning the page with hunger. His ears twitched, sensing their eyes on him, and he looked up and grinned brightly at them, unaware of the pain beneath their eyes. Ed turned back to his book.

"We can't give up though, I won't be able to live with myself if we couldn't turn him back, I mean, it's just not, he can't-" Maes paused, choosing his words carefully. "He's just not like himself in that form, in that state of mind. He may still be Ed, but that is not the Edward we know."

Roy nodded in agreement, but couldn't help but feel that he liked this new, open Edward with a childish grin. It was certainly a change to the irritated scowl and the furrow between his eyebrows. Roy turned to Alphonse, who was nursing the cup of tea Roy had given to him in silence. He hadn't said a word since they had gotten out of the car, and he hadn't looked up from his hands since they sat down at the couch. He'd give a huge sigh, take a small sip of his tea, and then sigh again. No matter how much he cared for the younger Elric brother, his eye was twitching from the uncomfortable silence coming from his spot on the couch.

"I'm not too confident," Roy announced, wrapping his hands around his empty cup, "But I'm not about to give up when for all I know the answer is right in front of us." He folded his hands together and rested his chin on them, leaning forward seriously. Immediately, the conversations that had sparked up at his comment died down. Roy glared at the wall over Alphonse shoulder and sighed, looking down into his empty mug.

"Alphonse, I need you to help me, I doubt I'll be able to do this on my own," He fixed Al with a hard stare.

"I need you to be focused, and utterly confident, confidence is the key to success." Roy turned his head away and began to sort through some papers on his coffee table. He skimmed through a folder and then plopped it back down onto the glass counter, rubbing his hands through his hair.

"Major General Reskae Dutson, from what Edward told us, appears to be following someone else's orders." Mustang looked from one person to another, watching the subtle changes in their faces.

"It's only safe to assume that General Saku Kakani is the one behind everything, probably offering Dutson a considerable amount to transmute soldiers into chimeras." He scrubbed the heel of his hands against his eyes tiredly. He wanted to curl up in his bed and let sleep suffocate him until he was lively again. Still, he forced himself to swallow down his exhaustion, and to mask his features of tiredness behind an air of confidence and fake energy. Pasting on a cocky smirk, he said, "We need some solid evidence, something that will prove that it was Saku and Reskae who were behind this. It won't be easy, considering they are both of higher rank than us, but I think we'll be able to do it, with everyone's help."

Doubt clouded his minds, and he shook his head drearily, rubbing the bride of his nose as a headache began to start at the center of his brow.

"Right now," Roy began knowing what he said was true, "we need to get some sleep, I can barely function right now, and I don't think any of us will be of any help to Edward if we can't even think straight."

Slowly, everyone began to nod, and tiredly, they pushed themselves from Roy's furniture and began to head towards the door. Only Alphonse stayed, looking at Edward with a sorrowful fondness. He tapped Ed on the shoulder, causing the boy to jump and turn around quickly, a smile already widening on his lips.

"_Al_!" Rejoiced the chimera, throwing his arms around Alphonse leg and hugging it tight. Alphonse blushed and patted Ed on the head whispering something into Edward's big cat ears. Instantly, they flattened to Ed's crown, and he glanced towards Roy, then back at Alphonse before saying loudly, "_But Ed no wants to go! Gotta stay here, Alphonse stay too_?"

Al shook his head and whispered something back at Ed. Immediately Edward's lips pulled into a large, cheeky grin and he nodded urgently. Suspicion crept into his blood when Alphonse giggled and glanced towards Roy's way, a small blush dusting his cheeks. Edward pushed himself up from the ground, wrapping his arms around Alphonse waist. The top of his ears were to Al's shoulders, and his face was squashed into Al's chest, rubbing his nose affectionately against him. Giving Ed a tight squeeze, he released him and walked over to Roy, giving him a strange adoring expression before clapping his hand onto Mustangs shoulder.

"Take care of him."

Roy never expected it to be so easy, to convince him to leave Edward at his house after living without him for three days. It showed unwavering trust in Roy, and a spark of happiness ignited in his heart. It felt like a huge opportunity, a chance to show that he could take care of someone so easily distracted, someone so likely to jump in front of a moving vehicle because of a butterfly. Roy gave a small tentative smile and replied gruffly, "I will."

Seeming to be satisfied with Roy's answer, he nodded and released his grip on Roy's shoulder, moving aside to show himself to the door. The door opened, and shut loudly, leaving a buzzing silence in its wake. The large clock on his wall ticked as the hands moved towards an earlier time, sending the seconds away to a place where nothing changes.

Breathing a sigh, Roy moved from his standing position, and plopped himself onto an old leather couch near the side of the table. He crossed his legs, grabbed the book he had been reading before Edward had disappeared, and turned to the page he had bookmarked. The book itself was tedious, moving from the villain's point of view to the hero's. The plot was unimaginative, a typical romance where the female is taken into the clutches of the villain, who is pure evil (unreasonable, and utterly bland in Roy's opinion) and the hero, mighty, righteous messenger of justice, beats the hell out of the villain and marries the damsel after only one day of knowing her. Though Roy had not actually read the entire book, it was clear how it was going to end. Happily Ever After. The most clique ending to a book, yet so many, including Roy, longed for such a fairy tall ending to their life.

Soon, Roy found himself yawning, having relaxed into the comforting creases of his chair, he was feeling drowsy, pulled down by the long nights he had spent awake with anxiety. And slowly, trying to blink himself awake, he was pulled under the safe wings of sleep. They book slipped from his hands and fell into his lap, loosing his page and sentence.

Time began to fly, and inside Roy's mind questions whirled, stirred on by his worry from Ed, the mystery to who had turned him, and that question of how. How was he going to turn Edward back into his human form? Dreams and nightmares pulled on opposite sides of his mind, and each time he felt himself being pulled into a dreamless sleep, an image of his friends, his comrades, bloody and dying came into mind, and he'd be pulled into an inescapable nightmare. It wasn't the full intensity of the suns ray that caught his attention; it was the violent sound of coughing and shuttering breaths.

Roy blinked and sat up stiffly, working out the kinks in his body. His joints cracked ominously, and he winced as a muscle in his neck jumped out. Then, subtly, another bout of coughing happened, and Roy, confused, sat up from the chair and pushed himself up. Next to him, curled up on the couch, was Edward. His breathing was rough and he pulled out a clawed hand from his fetal position and began coughing, violent shivers raking his shoulders and limps. Roy moved forward slowly, as if approaching an injured wild animal. A nearly inaudible whisper caused Roy to jump.

"_Blood_." Edward narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist. "_Always in the way, messy thing gotta wash it away._" He flinched when Roy took his wrist in his hand, careful to not apply to much pressure. Edward let his clenched fist loosen, and he stared fixedly at the wall as Roy gave an intake in breath. Crimson dotted his palm, splattered like war paint over his hand. Ed's hand shook in his, and he pulled it away quickly, jumping up from the couch and leaping over the coffee table with animal agility. He crouched against the wall, deep animal instincts causing his lips to pull over his teeth and a snarl to break loose from his throat. He wasn't looking at Roy, instead, his gave was directed at the floor, and his hands were fisted in his hair.

"_Shit_," Edward breathed, as his human intelligence fought with his animal. His body swayed side to side, and his eyes were clamped tightly shut against the meek light of the morning. Mumbling reached Roy's ears.

"-_Fought too long to be beat by a fucking animal, fight damn it, fight_!" His voice grew louder as he talked, and with and intake of breath he fell forward onto his knees, clutching his head as weak grunts escaped him. In front of him, Ed began to change. It was subtle, the elongating of his canines, the morphing of Edward head. His shoulders bunched and twitched, and Edward gritted his teeth and opened his eyes. His pupils widened and then shrunk down into tiny slits. Gradually, his body began to change back into its earlier shape, leaving a panting chimera collapsed onto his carpet. Shock had locked him in place, and now cold realization thawed him out. Soon the animal in Edward would tear itself from Ed, leaving them both dead.

"_It was Reskae Dutson. Fucker turned me into this_-" He gasped, a shiver traveling through him, "_Haven't much time, gonna die soon if can't find_-" His eyes flew open and blood burst from his mouth onto Roy's pristine carpet. He gave a whimper as Roy rushed forward crouching in front of him, hands fluttering over him uselessly.

"Help me, Ed; tell me what I need to turn you back!" He demanded hysterically.

Edwards gaze lost some of its focus.

"_Paralytic drug react wrong to transmutation. Kill me soon. Fucking should have known I'd die like this- Agh_!" Frothy red saliva dripped down the side of his mouth, and he coughed, before his arms gave way and he fell down onto the carpet, breathing heavily. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he breathed in and out hoarsely, coughing blood onto the ground. Finally, he looked up at Roy and smiled weakly.

"_Ed's okay now_."

Disappointment caused Mustang to scowl. How could Edward return to this after fighting so hard? He gripped Ed from his underarms and pulled him up slowly, helping him to the couch. Ed was shaking violently, hands gripping the couch in concealed pain, eyes clamped shut against the world. Roy patted Edward on the head. It wasn't the brilliant teenager he was with, but an open loving child. Roy felt as if he were talking to a stranger.

"I'm going to go get a blanket and clothes for you," He informed. "Stay here."

Creeping away from Edward in a suspicious manor, he turned on his heels and walked down the hall to his room. Hurriedly he through around some clothes, and rummaging through his drawer in search of something that would fit him. Considering the fact that Ed had shrunk in size (something Roy was so certain couldn't happen) he began to dig deeper into his drawers, to where the forgotten clothing lay. Giving up in his search, he grabbed the smallest dress shirt he could find, and pushed the drawer closed with a snap, ignoring the clothes that hung from its sides.

Entering the living room, his vision immediately was drawn to the place where he had last left Ed, only to give a startled groan. He wasn't their. After Roy specifically told him to stay put, he had gone off to god knows where, to do god knows what. Even after being turned into a chimera, he still didn't know how to follow orders.

"Ed?" he called out hesitantly, crouching down to appear less threatening. It was possible that Edward's animal side had taken control after he went in search of clothes, and he wasn't going to take any chances, considering how malicious he had looked cowering against the wall. The room was painfully quiet, only the gentle hum of his refrigerator and the melody of his clock. For a moment, Roy thought that Ed must have ran from his house, and he turned around briskly to check the locks. It was only the gentle snickering that found its way to his ears that made him pause.

Biting out a growl, he turned back around and crossed his arms over his chest authoritatively. Roy wasn't about to be tricked by a half minded kid.

"Edward this isn't funny." He scolded, glancing around for any obvious hiding places, or any movement. Nothing caught his eye.

"_Who said it was supposed to be_?" Edward retorted from somewhere within the room. His voice sounded as if it was coming from everywhere at once, and Roy gritted his teeth against the unfairness of it all. He was tired, and he wanted to sleep, but he couldn't just leave Ed awake to wreck havoc in his house, he was hungry, but his cupboards and fridge were empty, and most of all he wanted to strangle the chimera who had caused all of this (besides the food thing of course), but he couldn't until he figured out a way to save Ed before it was too late.

Life was a bitch.

Throwing the clothes and blanket he had gathered aside he began to circle the room, unable top help the small smirk from adorning his lips.

"Come out Ed, I'm tired, and so are you. We should get to bed."

Something creaked above him, and logic stopped him from looking up. Edward couldn't really be on the ceiling. It was only when a light weight plopped down on his back that he was proved wrong. Somehow, Edward had found his way to the fan on the ceiling, and had been waiting for him since he entered the room. How could he not notice someone on his ceiling? Clumsy fingers blocked his vision, and he fumbled around like a drunken fool, annoyed by the mockingly joyful sound of Edward's laughing. He gripped Edward's fingers and tried to wrench them from his eyes, but all he got in response was a painful tightening around his face and waist.

Finally, Roy gave up and slumped forward in defeat. He simply did not have enough energy to play with an energetic chimera. Slowly, as if just realizing Roy's exhaustion, he dropped from Roy's back, letting the dull sun daze him. Roy turned around ready to reprimand him, clenching his hands into fist so he wouldn't strangle the child. Nobody was there. Groaning at the unfairness of it all he ambled out of his living room, trying to keep himself from falling asleep while standing. His nerves sang with a new found adrenaline, causing him to smirk secretively. He would find that punk and give him a lesson.

Slinking from shadow to shadow, he glanced around him nervously, looking at every possible area of space. Nothing. He made his way to the stair case. Rarely did anyone get that far into his house, and Roy wondered vaguely if Edward was the first. The first door was his library, keeping every book he was selfish enough to keep to him self in that room. His finished research books were stacked somewhere in there, hidden underneath papers and out-of-date newspapers. The next door was his home office, where he read over paperwork and finished incomplete cases. The farthest door was his Alchemy room, transmuted to be completely soundproof, fireproof, waterproof and any other -proof you can think of.

Hoping Edward hadn't discovered some of the rarer novels in the library, he entered it, thinking it was his best guess. The library was quiet, and nothing but Roy's gentle breathing cut through that tranquility. Quickly, Roy turned on the light, causing dots to appear on his vision. He covered his eyes with his hand shielding it from the light, only to narrow his eyes when a flash of gold streaked across his vision. He gave a lopsided smirk. Acting as if he hadn't a clue of Ed's position, he crept forward, letting his focus jump from one object to another in an act of nervousness. Then, with a small grin, he jumped into the section Ed had ran into, promptly cornering the giggling chimera against the far wall. Roy didn't know what was more disturbing, the fact that Ed was giggling or the fact that he was actually playing along.

Edward gave a huge, sharp teethed grin and jumped onto one of the many shelves surrounding him. Roy's grin faltered when the bookcase rocked with Edwards climbing motion. He gave a worried look towards the shelf before running forward to grab the chimera from the cabinet, only to swear when he jumped over the other side. Racing around the bookshelves, he collided with Ed, falling to the ground with a confused Edward lying on top. Then, he was gone, sprinting away from Roy, cackling wickedly. Roy needed to think if he was going to catch Edward, he was going to have to think of some sort of plan. And with an evil smile, he followed in pursue of Ed, chuckling at his cunning.

His plan was going to work, he was certain of it.

Jumping down the stairs two at a time, he suppressed a giggle as he sat down on the couch, letting the exhaustion wash over him. Roy put his head in his hands and waited. It wasn't long before he heard a nervous shuffling, moving closer to him tentatively. Edward tapped his shoulder.

"_Roy?_" He asked softly, shaking him this time. His voice was alight with curiosity and worry, and Roy grinned into his hand. This was funnier than he thought. Edward gave a worried noise, before shuffling on both of his feet. Counting down slowly, he told himself to be patient, before he leapt forward and wrapped his arms protectively around Edward's waist pulling him forward into Roy's arms.

Time halted when their gazes met, and it took all of Roy's strength not to close the distance between them, and intertwine his fingers within Ed's hair. There was full certainty there, gleaming beneath the dark undertones of desire and want. Heat unfurled itself in his gut, and he leaned forward dubiously, waiting for Edward's approval. Almost immediately, as if a light had been switched, Ed's animalistic instincts took control, plunging him deeper within his conscious. A cheeky embarrassed grin bloomed on Edwards face and he rocked backward, fisting his hands into Roy's uniform to keep from falling from his lap.

"_You caught me!_" He congratulated, though Roy felt far from triumphant. If anything, he was undoubtebly disappointed. Gone was the deep, tingling desire in Edwards gaze, gone was the brief moment of Edward's full human self and now, back was the always happy, unbelievably real chimera, giggling on Roy's lap. Nothing showed that Edward remembered those moments of breathless realization, not even the barest tint of arousal shone in his gaze, nor was the lust that had Edward gripping Roy closer by his collar. Victorious was a far cry from what Roy felt at the moment.

Now all he wanted was that heated gaze. And Roy felt as if nothing, could ever get that back.


End file.
